| Software Piracy in Pakistan: Misery or Bliss |
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On Saturday, 21st April 2007, the main Karachi campus of Iqra University's Department of Business Administration organized a seminar on software piracy at its Executive Development Center. Mr. Sufyan Kakakhel from the OSRC and Mr. Farhan Junejo from Microsoft were invited as guest speakers. Since the price issue plays a major role in buying pirated software in Pakistan, Mr. Kakakhel focussed on the need to adopt open source as a relatively cheaper, security-rich, and more flexible alternative to expensive proprietary software. He said that, according to the preliminary results of a pioneering survey currently being conducted by the OSRC, the piracy rate in the Government of Pakistan's ministries and departments is less than the over 80% claimed by the World Bank and other institutions. As a result of eleven migrations from proprietary to open source software, however, nine of which were within the government, the OSRC had saved Rs. 35 million of the taxpayers' money, which would otherwise have been lost to pirated, or expensive, proprietary software. He also mentioned that four open source ERPs implemented by PSEB’s automation project in ten industrial units can now be freely customized for other units throughout Pakistan. Mr. Kakakhel suggested some open source software alternatives for the end-users. He also pointed out that an open source software toolkit developed by the OSRC is available on its website, and can be freely downloaded, partially or completely, in various formats. Mr. Farhan Junejo from Microsoft focussed on combating software piracy by purchasing proprietary software. He mentioned that Iqra University had bought Microsoft's original software, which was currently being used by its students. He urged them to buy original proprietary software when the time came for them to set up their own businesses. The students were provided an opportunity to hear opposing points of view, and to draw their own conclusions. They opined that one copy of Microsoft Office per processor was approximately Rs. 23,000/-, and that they had no alternative but to purchase pirated software for Rs. 30/-. They did, however, appreciate the fact that open source software provides an alternative to this practice. |
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