OPEN SOURCE ALREADY IN ARMENIA
HULIQ
Sept 16 2009
SC
The expression Open Source Software has been widely used in the
IT-industry recently. Full-scale programs of Open Source, from
operation systems and server solutions up to office applications
and graphics editors, do not need a payment for legal use, and any
specialist can create modified and improved versions of such software.
At the dawn of origination of information science the initial code
underwent changes and was transferred from hand to hand until in
60-70s the right to software product property took a prevailing
position. In the middle of 80s Richard Stallman left the Artificial
Intellect Laboratory of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT
AI Lab) and founded Free Software Foundation. He and his like-minded
programmers tried to develop a Unix clone fully created on the basis
of Free Software. Although many important programs were elaborated,
such as GCC (GNU Cross Compiler) and EMACS (the world’s greatest editor
project), the clone has not been completed. In October of 1991, a
student of the IT Faculty Linus Torvalds published a message to Usenet
group stating that he introduced Minix kernel on x86 computers. Due to
Internet development, issue of Linux and the inaccessible behavior of
Microsoft, that had a key role in IT-sphere, a stage of return to the
old style of computer interaction started. During the following seven
years Open Source Movement was called Free Software Movement as long
as Erik Raymond initiated the name Open Source in 1998 and compared
the open code and the main right to property of software product with
the method of Software development. Such was the origination of Open
Source Movement. In Armenia the idea of creation of Open Source project
occurred in the autumn of 2002. Correspondent of ARMINFO News Agency
Vyacheslav Khachatryan applied to Director of Open Source Armenia
Armen Shahverdyan for comments on the project.
– How did the idea of the project’s creation occur in the country?
– Approximately a year ago an active group of like-minded-specialists
was formed, including representatives from Armenia, Denmark and the
USA. Jointly discussing the prospects of development of computer
technologies in Armenia, we have arrived to a conclusion that the
most prospective at the moment can become development of Open Source
programming.
– When did the Open Source Armenia (OSA) project’s implementation
start?
– In January, 2003, we officially registered a web-site
and already in February an implementation
of three programs started at the American University of Armenia under
management of President of the Union of IT Enterprises Hovhanness
Avoyan. In March Eurasia Foundation agreed to continue financing the
program. Lycos/Armenia, Enterprise Incubator Foundation, Armenian
High-Tech Council of America, International Executive Service Corps
and the American University of Armenia also contributed to the
project’s implementation. These organizations accepted the proposals
of participation in the given project with a great enthusiasm,
highly appreciating its prospects. After we decided to form a group of
programmers interested in cooperation which would work on the projects
independently from us. We received many responses of the specialists
ready to start working on the project. The work of the programmers
being guided with enthusiasm resulted in a creation of dozens of
projects on creation and development of various types of Software.
One of the most interesting programs of OSA is the Software
localization project Open Office 1.1, the most wide-spread alternative
to Microsoft Office, of course, Open Office has less possibilities
than its analogues, but it has privileges as well i.e. Open Office
1.1 is officially provided free of charge. In case if Microsoft
makes a decision of "pressuring" the piracy market of its production
in Armenia, the country will get an alternative way out of this
situation by using Open Source products. In the nearest future,
after the compilation process, a beta-version of the Open Office
in the Armenian language will be issued in the country. By the way,
many people even from South Africa apply for advises to the forum of
our web-site in connection with the Open Office compilation and our
specialists help them with pleasure.
Besides, under the project a new business-model of Application Service
Provider is created for Armenia, a system of regulation of relations
with clients. As the prices of Software products are rather high, this
business-model will allow connecting the server through Internet. A
definite software product will be saved on this server. And paying for
only monthly leasing of the service, a user will get an opportunity
of a "remote" usage of the software product. The given project is
headed by our compatriots, highly-qualified specialists from Austria.
One of the most successful projects is "NetBeans" SVG Editor which was
elaborated at the American University of Armenia. In the course of the
first month this program was downloaded from Internet by thousands of
users world wide. While the logotype of Open Source Armenia is placed
on the web-site of NetBeans development engineers alongside with such
well-known companies as "Sun Microsystems" and "Hewlett-Packard".
Besides, it is necessary to mention one especially successful project
"Children’s Internet Gateway". Under the given project, teenagers
from the town of Spitak studying the operation system Linux under
management of specialists from the USA work on creation of a Children’s
Internet-portal with wide opportunities of the Content Management
System, naturally, with open source codes which will allow specialists
to modify the program as they thinks best.
– Who are the main "volunteers" in the implementation of OSA projects?
– Specialists having various qualifications participate in OSA
projects. Majority of the program’s participants are students needing
experience, and by working on creation of Open Source software their
receive relevant knowledge and length of service. It becomes very
urgent for them as there are many companies in the country that admit
only employees having length of service. Hence, an exclusive circle
is created, the people having no working experience are not admitted
to job, and it is unknown where from to get this experience. Besides
the students, people wanting to spend their spare time on anything
else besides their main jobs work on the project. The most important
in OSA program is, in my opinion, communication between interesting
people and exchange of experience.
-What consumer circle the OSA-created software is calculated on?
– In my opinion, it is state organization that, first of all,
should take interest in OSA production. Sooner or later, state
organizations will have to change over to legal software production
as, for example, the production of Microsoft often used at these
establishments, to speak softly, is not legal. In succession of
time Armenia faces a choice of either purchasing standard packages of
Microsoft for some $450 or receiving Open Source products, practically,
free of charge. Such a situation was in Bulgaria. Then over 90% of
organizations of that country were deprived of piratical software,
and had to take measures to localize the piratical products, including
software as Bulgaria must join the European Union. Taking into account
the fact that the country cannot ban the use of illegal programs
without providing any alternative, the Bulgarian authorities made a
decision to change over to Open Source production as the purchase of
expensive licensed products proved to be more than it could afford.
– What stage is the project at?
– At present we are at a stage of full-scale work on nine
products. Several of them have been operating for some three-four
months already. I would like to mention the high attendance of
our web-site. To compare, I would say that our web-site one of
the most attended sites among the internet-resources referring the
IT-development sphere in Armenia. In the average, OSA’s web-site is
visited by 4,000 users world wide.
-What are the forthcoming plans of Open Source Armenia?
– We try to contribute to various projects necessarily, in order that
in future specialists could work independently. Quite recently we
have issued a booklet dedicated to the Project, wherein the programs
elaborated under Open Source Armenia are described. The booklet is
distributed to the organizations interested world wide.