South Africa's government to switch to open source / open standards

N. Dan Smith

Thu Feb 22 09:50:57 -0800 2007

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I wonder how many nations will have to make The Switch (TM) before we start seeing more US States and even the federal government switching to FOSS.

Campaign finance reform

lars

Thu Feb 22 10:37:53 -0800 2007

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The timetable for The Switch (TM) is probably closely tied to the timetable for campaign finance reform. ;)

South Africa's government to switch to open source / open standards

Charles E Hill

Thu Feb 22 12:45:18 -0800 2007

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I don't know if there is an explicit "do not use" for any particular department in the U.S. or State governments.  I do know of several cases where FOSS is in use, from Municipal all the way up to Federal levels.

I do not support mandating the use of FOSS, any more than I would mandating the use of closed commercial software.  It is not the place of the government to push this sort of thing.

What I do support is government mandating the use of open, patent-free document formats.  The data of the government belongs to the People, and that should not be subject to the whims of any vendor.  If some super-secret, high proprietary software is best for the job, great.  However, the output of that program better be in a patent-free, fully documented format.

This would be a big step in removing vendor lock-in, and allow for freer competition based on the merits of each piece of software.

data formats

lars

Thu Feb 22 23:01:18 -0800 2007

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You're right that the more important issue is the data formats. That's where the open standards requirement comes in.

Regarding open source requirement, the key point there is that it applies to software developed for or by the government. Tax money built it, so it better be available to those who paid for it. It says nothing about prohibiting closed source. There are still quite a few excellent closed source products out on the market that MS hasn't had time or opportunity to crush or bury. However, in the areas where MS has come to be prominent or dominant, it is generally F/OSS that leads in performance, stability, ease of maintenance, security, etc.

South Africa's government to switch to open source / open standards

David Leppik

Thu Feb 22 12:52:11 -0800 2007

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There's a big difference, though. Microsoft is an American company. When a foreign country is weaning itself off of American software, it's not just saving money or reducing lock-in. Nor is is just snubbing a rival country. It's helping its trade deficit/surplus, thereby bolstering its economy and currency.