University switches to Linux |
| Organisation name: | Uganda Martyrs University |
| OSS Used: | The core of the migration is formed by the Linux SuSE 9.x distribution on servers and desktops.
Standard office environment: OpenOffice.orgm, Konquerer, Firefox, KMail.
Educational support: Eclipse, MySQL / PhpMyAdmin /KNoda, TaskJuggler, Umbrello, GIMP, NVU, Quanta+, Blender, Gambas. |
| Reasons for using OSS | Cost reduction and better utilisation of ICT budget. Banning of illegal usage of software in the university. Setting an example for other universities in the region. Improved learning environment for students. |
| Benefits of using open source software | Do more with the same ICT budget. ICT infrastructure using FOSS is less vulnerable to worms and viruses. Provides a better learning environment fro students. |
| Challenges of using open source software | Software and hardware compatibility. Market compatibility. Migrating windows users with limited computer skills to Linux. Migrating people in finance and accounting. |
| Does using FOSS benefit your organisation? |
Yes |
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| Organisation |
Uganda Martyrs University is a licensed private Catholic university in Uganda established in 1993. The university is located 80km south-west from Kampala on the road to Masaka. At present the university enrolls about 2500 students from Uganda and the rest of the East African region.
Undergraduate and post graduate degrees are offered in (Compuer) Science, Business Administration and Management, Ethics and Development Studies, Health Sciences, Building Technology and Architecture, Education and Agriculture.
The migration project is fully financed by the university itself as a means to improve the performance of the university and it targets the whole university community. The project is internally managed by the head of the department of Computer Science and Information Systems (Prof Victor van Reijswoud) in collaboration with Head the ICT Department (Mr George Lule).
The migration, training and sensitisation was executed by the members of the two departments. |
| Why does the organisation use FOSS? |
The decision to migrate the university to Open Source Software was mainly inspired by cost reduction, and the desire to limit the use of pirated software at the university. In 2002, the growth of the university and its approaching 10 years of existence required the a rethinking of the operation of the university. The fact that the university operated on pirated software (like most other universities in the region) was considered unprofessional and against the Christian principles of the university. The alternative to buy licenses to replace the pirated software proved to put too big a burden on the ICT budget. After careful experimenting and testing of different alternatives it was decided in a plenary session of the university senate that an OSS policy was the only way forward.
Additional arguments were that:
- a migration to OSS would set an example for other institutions in the region since many are operating on the same dilemma.
- In the field of computer science, OSS provide a better learning environment since the source code can be viewed and modified.
- Less vulnerability of the network for viruses, worms, and other security attacks.
- Better control of the desktops of the users.
The current software standard is set to the SuSE 9.x Professional distribution and the applications that are included in the distro. All new computers in the university are delivered with the latest version of SuSE installed. Special permission is needed to change this.
Staff are advised to select the applications that they use in class from the applications available in the distribution.
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| The benefits and challenges of using FOSS |
Being the first to start such a project in an environment where IT skills are low has been an enormous challenge. When the project started there were virtually no Linux and OSS expertise available at the university and even in the country the community was extremely small. Only with the help of some overseas contacts the project was able to take off. Another complicating factor in the start of the project was the availability of the software. The limited access to Internet made downloading software impossible and software had to be flown in.
In spite of the difficulties at the onset of the project the benefits of the migration are becoming increasingly clear. Due to the limited costs of the software, more funds are available for purchasing hardware at the university. At present the university has one of the best ICT infrastructure for students in the region and their facilities are highly praised. We have very little problems with viruses on the university and if there are problems, this is caused by the remaining windows machines and (luckily) only affects the remaining windows users. Contrary to the expectation of many people the students graduating from Uganda Martyrs University experience no disadvantage in the job market. The graduates are valued for their in depth computer knowledge and adapt quickly to a different environment.
The migration of the university has attracted a lot of attention and publicity for the university. The knowledge and experiences gained in the project are made available for other interested parties in the region through the East African Center for Open Source Software (www.eacoss.org). EACOSS is set up with financial support from the International Institute for Communication and Development (www.iicd.org). The center advises and trains organizations/individuals interested in OSS. It also make available software through a local mirror. |
| Conclusions |
Migrating to OSS needs careful considerations. The process is difficult and the resistance of users can be high. Training forms an essential part in the every good migration and especially when migrating to OSS. Careful communication of advantages and reasons behind the migration is key to the success since many users feel that they are moving from the 'best software in the world' to 'some inferior type of software'. This position is often justified by the fact that so little western organisation they are in contact with uses OSS (especially among the development organisations).
In order to successfully embark on a migration project it is important that the management of the organisations is in favor. In the case of Uganda Martyrs University the project was strongly supported by the Office of the Vice Chancellor. The Vice Chancellor championed the project. Another important precondition is the strength of the ICT department and their willingness to learn. If the support staff is not behind the project their actions will negatively influence the users. If they are not willing to learn a changing environment, the progress of the project is seriously endangered.
In spite of the difficulties, organisations in Africa should seriously consider the OSS alternative. It provides a sustainable option to organizations to develop a solid ICT environment in with growth is guaranteed. |
