Case study: Kyrgyzstan's experience in promoting open source for national ICT development

The paper discusses the importance of Open Source (OS hereinafter) technology for national Information Communication Technology (ICT hereinafter) development and E-Government for developing countries as a general strategy for overcoming the digital divide. The paper highlights the opportunities presented to the developing countries by the growing world-wide movement for use of OS systems, namely, the ability to promote the transfer of technological know-how and the growth of local IT professionals, the possibility of providing IT solutions within the limited financial means of a developing country, and the ability to strengthen the legal use of software. The paper ' s goal is to describe the specific strategy adopted by Kyrgyzstan to orientate its ICT policy towards the wide use of OS technologies in Kyrgyzstan. In addition the paper considers the ways and approaches to satisfy informational needs of the country within legal and financial means by use of Open Source technology.