DUBAI, 29 October — The Saudi Computer Society (computer.org.sa) was founded in 1988. Concerned with computer related scientific and cultural activities, in the Kingdom society members have been active in organizing symposia, setting up exhibitions, and most recently in assisting in the creation of the national IT masterplan. Members of the Saudi Computer Society are drawn from faculty members and students of Saudi universities and individuals specialized in information technology, both in the government and private sectors. The society caters to special interests with focus groups on Linux, IT security, Internet and networking.
At GITEX, Arab News met with Dr. Khaled A. Al-Ghoneim, chairman of the Saudi Computer Society’s Board of Directors. Al-Ghoneim is an outspoken supporter of the open source movement. Here’s what he had to say on a variety of topics relating to IT in the Kingdom:
Q: Why did the Saudi Computer Society decide to participate in GITEX?
A: We at the Saudi Computer Society noticed that there was no national presence for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at GITEX in Dubai. So we had the idea of starting a Saudi national pavilion where we could have some of the Saudi companies, especially those that produce products related to information technology, either hardware, software or services. We started late in planning for this exhibition so we were only able to find a small space, but thanks to Allah, we have managed to do well with the space we have. Here with the Saudi Computer Society at GITEX and co-sponsoring the booth are the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), SaudiNet, SCS and Advanced Electronics. The automatic vehicle location system being demonstrated by Advanced Electronics was developed in-house in Saudi Arabia by Saudi engineers. We are proud to be able to show some of the fruits of our local talents. In addition, at GITEX we have had two Saudi Computer Society activities on display. One is the national IT plan. The other is the Saudi Linux Group.
Q: There is a perception that Saudis are consumers of technology not producers. Do you think this is true?
A: Well, this is exactly why we came to GITEX because we would like to change this perception — at least a little. Unfortunately, it might be true to some extent. There are nevertheless some companies that are really, genuinely interested in producing technology rather than just marketing foreign technologies. We hope that through the national IT plan that we will be able to promote the production of many technologies and the use of local talents in the Kingdom. We really have a very strong competitive advantage in this regard, which is the large number of young people that we have. We are perhaps one of the youngest societies in the world. So we have many people interested in IT and they have lots of good ideas. Look at the number of Saudi volunteers who have worked on projects to Arabize Linux. This is just one example of how the talents of Saudi youth can be used to enrich the field of information technology, internationally.
Q: You are a known advocate of the Linux operating system. How do you feel about Microsoft winning the project at the National Information Center in the Ministry of Interior? Is this the right direction to take?
A: I co-founded the Saudi Linux Users Group and I am very strongly attached to Linux. But I am also chairman of the Saudi Computer Society. So this means that I must be very sensitive to the direction we take at the national level. Personally, I am with Linux, but I understand that I can’t turn the entire Saudi Computer Society in the direction I prefer. The Saudi Computer Society is a society of all those interested in information technology in Saudi Arabia — be it Linux, Windows, or whatever. My personal opinion is that Linux is the right direction for the government to take, but I will not make the Saudi Computer Society a platform to promote this. The Saudi Linux Users Group is doing its best to show the advantages of Linux, especially the Arabized Linux. We have also just published a book about open source software and why such software is a good alternative for the government. We hope to change the decision-makers‚ perception of open source and Linux so that they choose it themselves.
Q: This past summer, the German government and the British Government both made moves in support of Linux. Shouldn’t such decisions bolster Linux usage by our government?
A: The new book we have published is full of examples of governments moving to Linux. China, Peru, India and many other countries are now choosing Linux. I think that the media reports on the Ministry of Interior project awarded to Microsoft are exaggerated. This is a single project for one system at the National Information Center, which is going to Microsoft. This system will be a parallel system to a mainframe that is UNIX oriented. So this project doesn’t signal an endorsement of Microsoft’s technology. The statements issued by the government on this subject after information was put out by Microsoft about the project clearly shows that they are still interested in using Linux whenever possible.
Q: Do you think it is reasonable for businesses to take the position of being operating system agnostic — meaning that they should use whatever operating system gives the best return on investment, no matter which vendor is backing it?
A: Yes, I think this is the best position to take. Honestly, sometimes I recommend that certain people use Microsoft because it best suits the need. But it is important to remember that the concept of "need" must be clearly defined — both short term and long term. For example, Microsoft’s .Net concept is a big trap for the country. .Net will make us hostage to Microsoft as a country. It is subscription based and people don’t understand the dangers in .Net. Microsoft wants us to store all of our documents using their technology and gain access to them through their technology. This has the potential to really affect national security. It is important that decisions are not made simply on how much these systems and implementations will cost now. It is vital to take a long-term view. But nevertheless, if you are in a situation where you just need one or two applications or a desktop at home, Microsoft is a good alternative, especially for Arabic support. But I should point out that even for limited usage the picture is changing. By next year I anticipate that Linux will be very strong at the desktop. There are many new open source products that have just come to the market and they are gaining acceptance.
Q: What will it take for Linux to make serious inroads in the Saudi market?
A: You can’t believe how surprised people are by Linux. I showed the manager for a major software development house in the Kingdom the capabilities of Linux. He was impressed. I believe that more people haven’t embraced Linux simply because they don’t know it. People are always suspicious of things they don’t know. I believe the media must play a better role in showing Linux’s capabilities and explaining the open source concept to the public. When we started the Saudi Linux Group we quickly realized that if someone works with Linux, he will love it. The problem is getting computer users to that stage. This is why we have shifted our emphasis from technical issues to community outreach on the topic of Linux. We also need to have more students at our universities trained in how to handle the open source environment. People are still hostage to the idea that PC means Microsoft. Frankly, a PC is just hardware. It can run any available operating system or software. Critical mass in support of the open source movement is building, but we still need time and education to help people move away from the Microsoft mentality.
Q: What’s happening with the national IT masterplan?
A: We have 85 people working on the national IT masterplan — ten of them full-time and 75 part-time. We will be releasing immediate action items in Ramadan. This is a set of urgent items that must be handled now and need only a little effort to implement. But the release of the national IT masterplan is still a year in the future.
Q: Can we wait that long?
A: We have to. Planning takes time. That’s why we are calling for certain urgent initiatives immediately because there are some issues that just can’t wait.
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