Towards Sustainable Development Through Open Source Software in the Arab World

Abstract

A literature survey study was conducted to explore the state-of-the-art of open source software and the opportunities and challenges faced by this segment of the software industry in seven Arab countries: Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and UAE. A framework and road map for OSS is derived and presented from interviews conducted in the UAE with at least four experts from each of the following categories: governments and ministries, IT companies, universities, and IT enthusiasts. This is the first study of its kind in this part of the world and is expected to make a significant contribution to the direction for open source software in the region and beyond.