Open Source, Open Standards and Re-Use: UK Government Policy

The UK Government has made it clear that Open Source and Open Standards, with a focus on re-use of software development and deployment, is to clearly and unequivocably be part of the decision-making for UK Government I.T. procurement and contracting. Also part of the policy is a clear committment to engage with the Free Software community and to actively encourage the development of "Government-Class" Free Software products.

For full article:http://opensource.co.uk/index.php/open-souce-news/336-open-source-open-standards-and-re-use-uk-government-policy

[Join us @ facebook]

I think switching to open source will be a great deal for all nations around the world. After all a government can't count on private companies for innovation, especially now that the open source community is producing high level software that can compete the proprietary ones.

I admire how enlightened a government can be when it makes such choices.
Open source software is free and reliable. Two things that alone should make it THE CHOICE against proprietary closed software, especially in places like public administration.

Just to make an example, here in Italy I still see schools and public offices spending thousands of euros just to install things like the Microsoft Office Suite. What do they need  to do in a school, that OpenOffice can't do compared to MSOffice?
Most of the time they hide behind the fact that statal emplyees are used to MS Office, and find difficult to learn the new interface.
In a private business such excuses would be frown upon.
Why the employees can't learn to use a slightly different but much less expensive product?

Congratulations to UK gov.ment, they realized something really important... I can only hope that in the next years the Italian government will do the same.

But our Government doesn't do anything for free software application. We use only licensed  PO or pirated copies. And pupils study it in school. 

[Guest]

[59.822]

Googlebot