The Office of the E-Envoy has begun a consultation on the
adoption of open source software as part of a drive to put pressure
on commercial software providers to provide the best deals to the
public sector.
The consultation document said, "Open source software is not a hype
bubble that will burst, and UK government must take cognisance of
that fact."
Adoption of open source software is limited in the public sector.
Although Dundee City Council, for instance, has adopted a
Linux-driven mainframe in partnership with IBM, a high-profile
Linux trial at Newham Borough Council ended when the council
decided to stay with Microsoft.
The Office of Government Commerce has initiated a series of open
source trials in the public sector and is seeking to renegotiate
its licence terms with Microsoft.
The open source software consultation, which runs until 11 June,
asks users to comment on a series of recommendations. These include
making it standard policy for the government to consider open
source software alongside proprietary products when buying
IT.
It also spells out a commitment to only use products for
interoperability that support open standards, so the public sector
can avoid being locked in to proprietary products.
The government may also consider obtaining full rights to bespoke
software code or customisations of software it buys
"off-the-shelf".
The draft policy said such measures would remove the reliance on
individual IT suppliers, and provide more flexibility in the
development, enhancement and integration of systems. It also
pointed out that open source software is currently more secure
against internet-borne attacks, compared to some mainstream
proprietary applications.
To comment on the consultation paper, Open source software: use
within the UK government, visit the govtalk website
www.govtalk.gov.uk/policydocs/consult_subject_document.asp?docnum=861