從「永續經營的資訊政策」看自由軟體的重要性

Why Free Software? A Sustainable Development Perspective

刻在龜甲上的甲骨文保存了幾千年，到現在我們仍能夠透過它研究古代的文化。但是您二三十年前用Wordstar所製作的文件，現在還能輕易打得開嗎？不同廠牌的手機可以彼此通話，但為什麼一談到軟體產品，我們卻堅持必須購買同一廠牌才能相容？什麼樣的資訊政策才能符合政府與企業永續經營的目標？一般CIO忽略「出走成本」的概念，因而為機關或企業製造出什麼樣的問題？本文從「永續經營」的觀點出發，指出政府至少應該採用自由軟體作為測試元件，以確保採購產品符合開放標準，以降低未來的「出走成本」。更進一步，如果資訊安全（特別是從保護國家與企業機密的角度來看）、環境保護與教育意義被列入考量的話，那麼自由軟體更加是必然的選擇。

Bone inscriptions created thousands of years ago remain readable to modern researchers and enable them to study ancient cultures. Yet it may not be easy to open a file created by Wordstar^(TM) just two decades ago. Users of mobile phones in different makers and models can communicate each other without difficulties. Yet we insist, with unchallengeable obsession, on which everybody should use the same newest version of Microsoft Office^(TM) in order to exchange documents. Are there something missing in our ICT procurement policies to ensure sustainable development? What high prices are businesses and organizations paying when CIOs are unaware of cost of exit? This paper argues, from a sustainable development perspective, that government agencies should, in the minimum, submit any procured and/or newly created software to compatibility test using FLOSS (Free/Libre/Open Source Software) in order to make sure that the new software complies with open standards. If criteria such as security - especially from either national security or business trade secret perspective - and environmental protection are concerned, then certainly FLOSS should be the first priority in any procurement or newly commissioned project.