Ubuntu usage in Ampang Parliament Office

[Disclaimer: OMB is politically neutral and does not promote any particular political party nor alliances. We are however proponents of Openness in Technology and would love to highlight any efforts by any organisation which has the same vision]

Thanks to SweeMeng, I found this blog entry by JomLinux, which featured a YouTube video of Mohd Fahmi walking through some machines he set up for the office of Ampang's Member of Parliament.  What is interesting is that he is the Secretary for the MP and was given the mandate to fix up the IT systems of the office given a rather restrictive budget.

Here is the YouTube video (in Malay):

OpenMalaysia Blog managed to ask him more about his efforts, conducted in English with some translations from the video for the benefit of our international audience.

OMB: How did you get involved with Linux?

Fahmi: I started to use Linux in 2006 to service the PCs at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat Headquarters (PKR - a Malaysian political party). In early 2006, I used to get attacked by viruses every month. I searched for an alternative and I found Linux. I tried Ubuntu, which was pretty hard to use at that time! The bonus was being able to configure Beryl just to see the "WOW" factor. I fell in love with FOSS and am now married to open source. So a virus creator brought me to FOSS.

OMB: What is Jom Linux?

Fahmi: Jom Linux was a company founded by me last year. I am the President with the help of my friends Daing (Sales Manager), Din (Media Manager) and Pian (Administration). We all share the same vision which is to invent a new culture for computer industries in Malaysia, especially in the consumer market.

OMB: Is the Ampang MP Office a client?

Fahmi : I'm currently working as the Secretary (Setiausaha) for the Ampang MP Office and I spend most of my time at the Parliament of Malaysia. I am also the 'IT Advisor' for the MP. She used to call me whenever her computer froze, and I can't remember how many times her laptop or desktop was infected with viruses and displaying the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

OMB: How long have you been working with them?

Fahmi: For almost two years. At the end of 2007, I transfered from PKR HQ to Ampang MP. I have aspirations in the future to concentrate in Linux as a business, as Linux has always been my dream.

OMB: Why Ubuntu?

Fahmi: Simple Question; Simple Answer: Ubuntu is easy and user friendly. I tried Fedora, OpenSUSe - all have nice GUIs but I hardly to use them.

OMB: What drives the need for FOSS?

Fahmi: There is a variety of computers in the office, from 10 year old Pentium IIs while the majority are AMD Semproms with 1GB RAM. So the setup is pretty low cost. We only had a new desktop after 1.5 years, as it depends on available budget. Most of the money is for the poor and misfortuned, so computer items is usually the last item on the budget. Ubuntu and FOSS helps.

OMB: Is security and issue?

Fahmi: Security is always an issue in our office. Many people come into the office to do some sort of work. Sometimes they use our computers without permission or without our knowledge. We have sensitive data which is not for the public That's why Ubuntu is useful. All computers are password protected, and when someone wants to use our computers, they just need to click on the "Guest Session" on the top right corner of the Panel, and voila: Our sensitive documents are hidden!

"Only Linux are allowed through this door
Windows users - please use the window"

OMB: Who initiated this move fo FOSS?

Fahmi: It's an effort driven by myself, with cooperation from my colleagues. Luckily the MP didn't complain when I changed the whole System. I think its just as long as they can do their job than 'buntu' (which ironically means 'locked' or 'closed' in English) for the rest of the day when a BSOD strikes.

OMB: Do you think that more Government / Political bodies should use more FOSS?

Fahmi: I think its hard for government to enforce the use of FOSS. Why should they? They can purchase expensive software because of our taxes. As long as they are happy with their computers they don't see it or just dont get it. But the 'shining light' can be seen in political movements, because they are always short of money. How many political guys use wordpress for blogging? Even Anwar Ibrahim Blog uses Wordress. Ampang blog the same too. And more than that, we all use Linux servers. Some use Joomla.

OMB: How do you think the Government can help in FOSS uptake?

Fahmi: In my opinion, it would be better if the community built their FOSS market without any help or interference from Government agencies like MOSTI, MAMPU, MIMOS, etc... Stop relying on them. I think the government still lacks a good blueprint on how to adopt FOSS. Apologies if my words are too harsh.

OMB: Has IT budgets tightened due to the economic outlook?

Fahmi: From my experience, IT budgets is always tight, whether the economy is up or down. The Parliament of Malaysia allocates RM6000 for IT budgets for each MP.

OMB: On average, what is the deployment costs per Ubuntu seat compared to Windows?

Fahmi: For Windows with the complete software suite: Windows, Office, Anti-Virus and other stuff, we can save RM1K+ per desktop. That's why many Malaysian like to use pirated software. I believe if Linux and FOSS keeps pushing forward to become more populare, many illegal pirate CD distributors will go bankrupt.

OMB: What is the maintenance cost per Ubuntu seat per year compared to Windows?

Fahmi: 50 sen to burn Ubuntu CDs , the internet costs for security upgrade, and a little bit of patience ....

OMB: Are the end users encouraged to engage the FOSS community for support?

Fahmi: Many end users think want their computers to Just Work. 90% of the end users don't even care about the community or contribute or engage the community. The progress of the Malay Ubuntu translation project is very slow.

OMB: What was the initial reaction to the Ubuntu desktop?

Fahmi: Laughter! Because of the name Ubuntu, they said that "Ubuntu makes me buntu" (blocked out of ideas) ... perhaps we should change it to uPintar or uBijak ("clever" and "smart"). However after installation, training was not required. They just proceeded with their work. They become more accustomed to FOSS after time. In the video, there is an old lady called Kak Mek. She used Ubuntu from the beginning of her career in the Ampang Office. I didn't give her any training. She was just fine with OpenOffice. So the saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is a complete myth.

 

Kak Mek is a user of Ubuntu, "Who says Ubuntu is difficult?"

OB: Do you change the default file format of OpenOffice.org from ODF?

Fahmi: Most of the time, no, because almost all of the files are shared within the office, which uses OpenOffice as the primary software. When the files need to be used outside we convert as Windows is still dominant outside.

OMB: Do you think FOSS has a future in Malaysia?

Fahmi: Definitely, Yes.

"Linux will be the dominant desktop in the future"

Well done Fahmi, and the Ampang MP Office!

[Disclaimer: OMB is politically neutral and does not promote any particular political party nor alliances. We are however proponents of Openness in Technology and would love to highlight any efforts by any organisation which has the same vision]

Comments

[Jason Crane]

I don't speak a word of Malay, but I loved the video. Nicely done!

[Yiu Vee]

Cool interview from Fahmi. Ubuntu saves some costs for sure for the normal users like us that does surfing for information and the basic word and spreadsheet applications.

[mygg2u]

Caya lah fahmi Hidup ubuntu

[Jom Linux]

ya..thank 4 all supporters.

terima kasih semua!

[Jacob Pang]

Did you conduct any class to teach Ubuntu?
i try over 3weeks liao, still cannot print...
and many thing still not work...

[aman]

cool video...love the interview..go foss for malaysia.. =)

[anak_perelih]

Jacob Pang...

On Ubuntu/fedora, it's easier to install printers especially network printers compared to windows.. coz all printer drivers can be downloaded by ubuntu, unlike windows where you have to install it from cd or download it from internet by u, not by windows...