For open source, read "cheaper". It's one big reason why the government is inching its way towards accepting that open source software such as OpenOffice - free and downloadable from the web - can become a viable option in education and other parts of the public sector.
It's been a slow process. Most computers still run on proprietary operating systems, and mainly Microsoft software, although Linux - the best known open source operating system - is starting to move in to servers and other back-office (administrative) systems.
Open source (software based on source code freely shared by developers) has gradually been building up a group of disciples within education who believe Britain's schools and colleges are ready for it. Besides the attraction of a philosophy that sees software as being open for all to tinker with, there is its ability potentially to save millions of pounds spent on licence fees for Microsoft products.
Last month, Charles Clarke, then education secretary, said he was keen to give schools easier access to open source products. While savings have been generated from negotiations by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) with Microsoft, Clarke said that"there is still room for further improvement".
In a bid to separate fact from fiction, Becta last year set up a study involving 15 schools that use some form of open source technology. A report, to be published this spring, will show that such solutions do indeed reduce costs on average compared with schools not using open source.
Owen Lynch, chief executive of Becta, says: "The sample is small so the results are indicative but very interesting. The aim is to start to establish what schools are doing to deploy open source solutions and to gain an understanding of the benefits and challenges in doing so." The full report will give a detailed analysis of each school's approach and will share successful implementations to give others a head start, Lynch says.
Nia Sutton, who is managing the study, says that each participating school had access to an open source "champion" who knew what its ICT needs were and was able to create a tailor-made solution.
An open source enthusiast is the common factor in schools that have made the jump into this brave new world. One example is Richard Rothwell, head of computing at Handsworth grammar school in Birmingham, who has helped dramatically improve the school's IT provision on a shoestring budget.
The school wanted to earn specialist status in computing, but Rothwell says there was little funding to buy new equipment. There were a number of old PCs and his solution - devised with the help of two students - was a Linux network using Citrix software. The result was 90 student terminals offering internet access and Office software, with the crunching performed on two powerful PCs that act as servers. The system is very reliable, Rothwell says, and allows decisions about upgrading to be made by him, rather than Microsoft.
Two years ago, Rothwell set up SchoolForge to help promote open source in schools. He argued that the new version of OpenOffice, the newly improved free software package that offers the same programs as Microsoft's Office suite, will be the "killer blow" that really gets open source noticed in schools. "It's hard to justify the expense of £90 to £150 per computer a year to run software that's definitely no better than the free alternative."
OpenOffice could become a first toe in the open source water for many schools, particularly if they opt for StarOffice, a version sold cheaply and supported by Sun Microsystems that is available free to British schools.
Simon Tindall, the firm's UK regional manager, said more than 1,250 schools were registered users of StarOffice and interest had "grown significantly" in the past year.
Ian Lynch, education lead for OpenOffice.org, says the government should be doing more to encourage schools to adopt open source because the potential savings are so significant - they can be as high as 35%. But as any headteacher knows, getting good ICT support in a school can be difficult. Lynch acknowledges that there are not nearly enough people - particularly in education - with open source experience.
Dougal Gill, director of East Hull Community Learning Centre, has floated the idea that there may never be a significant number of schools that switch to open source, but its mere existence means that Microsoft is being forced to keep an eye on its pricing.
Since Labour came to power, schools have become used to getting large sums of money to buy computers and install networks. While that continues, Gill says most will not "go out on a limb" and embrace open source solutions.
Yet there will come a time when the cash will dry up and things are likely to change when the tap is tightened, Gill predicts. "Open source is not the answer for all, but it could be a sustainable solution for some."
Weblinks
Open source software advice paper: www.becta.org.uk
OpenOffice: www.openoffice.org
SchoolForge: www.schoolforge.net
Handsworth grammar school: www.handsworthgrammarschool.co.uk
StarOffice: www.sun.com
The Newspaper Marketing Agency - Opening Up Newspapers: www.nmauk.co.uk