FOSS as a driver: Perspectives from the ICT development agenda

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) is regarded as a powerful tool for development. In particular, free and open source software (FOSS) can help developing countries to solve the financial and technical problems involved in utilizing ICT. There are many advantages of FOSS, including free use, reasonable total cost of ownership (TCO), reduced copyright infringements and achievement of vendor independence. However, despite the efforts of governments and international organizations to diffuse it in the developing world, few of the poorer countries are successfully utilizing FOSS for their development.