August 27, 2004

The recently released California Performance Review (CPR) contains a number of excellent recommendations and The Pacific Research Institute (PRI) applauds the efforts of everyone involved in working towards a more prosperous and healthy Golden State. PRI is a non-partisan think tank based in San Francisco that focuses on finding solutions to important public policy problems.

My area of expertise at PRI is technology policy, and I have noticed that the CPR made some recommendations on the use of open source software. PRI takes no formal position on whether proprietary or open source software is better. Indeed, we recognize that each system has distinct pros and cons. What I would like to point out to the Commission is that the section of the CPR discussing open source software appeared to over-emphasize the positives and almost completely ignore the potential problems and hidden costs of such a system.

Open source software is often free of charge, but it can be difficult to use and support costs are not free. Time spent on tech problems because of difficulty in use, as well as the actual support costs should be more closely examined. Also, because many different people can modify open source software, special concerns arise, such as the intellectual property questions that came to light in the SCO case (see linked article).

Below are links to two articles that deal with the issues I raise above. I would be happy to comment in more detail at a later time if requested.

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http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=1927

http://www.capmag.com/articlePrint.asp?ID=2808

Sonia Arrison is director of Technology Studies at the Pacific Research Institute.