Open source software specialist Obsidian Systems has been listed as an official supporter of the Open Source Software for South Africa (OSSSA) organisation and has joined a growing network of supporters and collaborators championing the value of OS in trade, industry and government.

Obsidian Systems provides professional open source software solutions, support and training, often around Linux. The OS supplier has been in operation since 1995 and continues to engage the South African business community about the benefits of OS.

The Company decided to back OSSSA in its ongoing quest to underline these benefits with specific attention to OS software versions being a credible replacement to costly software packaged sourced from businesses abroad.

Karl Fischer, Technical Consultant at Obsidian Systems, explains that the link between Obsidian Systems and OSSSA is clear. “We share a vision. A core component of OSSSA’s strategy is to drive the adoption and application of OS in industry and government. In this way financial investment into licensing and support of proprietary software can be redirected locally. We believe in this and we support all efforts to encourage choice and an open market.”

Another objective of OSSSA is to liberate local operators and free them from the software supply bond they have with international players.

Like OSSSA, Obsidian Systems stresses the importance of access to information, of skills development and the need to actively apply OS to help stimulate trade and fuel the economy.

OSSSA founder, computer scientist and engineer Dr Charl Botha has commended Obsidian Systems for its decision to join OSSSA and believes the OS specialist’s inclusion will be of significant value to the market at large.

“Obsidian is a well established and respected OS services provider. We believe its support will help to legitimise our organisation, reinforce our credibility and attract more parties to the network. By uniting, we have grown our pool of expertise and developed our knowledge framework, which will strengthen our shared purpose and objectives,” said Dr Botha.