HKPC Establishes Open Source Software Centre to Support Industry

The Hong Kong Open Source Software Centre (HKOSSC), established by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), was officially opened today (19 September 2007) to promote the adoption of open source software (OSS) solutions in Hong Kong and support the local software industry in tapping related business opportunities on the Mainland.

Located at the HKPC Building, the HKOSSC provides a range of services including software porting, system testing, solution demonstration, proof-of-concept/pilot projects, technical support, software certification, training as well as research.

The opening ceremony was officiated by Mr Howard Dickson, Government Chief Information Officer of HKSAR Government; Dr Samson Tam, Chairman of HKOSSC Steering Committee; and Mr Wilson Fung, Executive Director of HKPC.

Highlighting the roles and services of the HKOSSC, Mr Fung said: "On the users' end, we will shortly launch the 'SME OSS/Linux Popularization and Success Case Sharing Project'. This will be a joint initiative with Hong Kong Linux Industry Association which aims to promote OSS solutions among SMEs."

"Turning to the developers' end, the Centre will team up with Guangdong Linux Center to help Hong Kong software companies to expand their presence in the OSS market in Guangdong through training and technology transfer. We will also continue to assist in certifying Hong Kong OSS solutions for Guangdong government procurement and help software developers to migrate their solutions on OSS platform through the Porting Programme. In a moment, we will have a signing ceremony to mark the official participation of 11 software developers in this programme. HKPC is not alone in this endeavour. We have many technology partners, such as IBM and Red Hat, to support the development of the centre and enhance the skills and capabilities of OSS professionals in Hong Kong," he added.

The OSS Porting Programme was initiated by the Information and Software Industry Association and implemented by HKOSSC, with funding support from the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer.

For further information on the HKOSSC, please visit the website: www.hkpc.org/hkossc, or contact HKPC's Mr Steve Lau at tel. (852) 2788 6081, or via e-mail: stevelau@hkpc.org.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Betty Lee
General Manager
Corporate Communications Division
Tel: (852) 2788 5036
Fax: (852) 2788 5056
E-mail: felixchan@hkpc.org
Website: www.hkpc.org

19 September 2007