One of my contacts in the open source community pointed out to me an important announcement that the Government has made, which shows some crucial steps on the way to legitimizing the concept of open source software in government. For this commentator, this is not a moment to soon.
Although they last reviewed the Open Source policy back in 2004, and the background blurb makes some interesting claims about penetration of OS in IT Procurements and contracts, IMHO there is still a long way to go. This is particularly true as the suppliers (who can not be named for legal reasons) often make a substantial part of their revenue from percentage markup on products supplied. There is not much of a markup on Linux or Apache distros!
I understand that the influential Power of Information task force, the group working within the Cabinet Office to suggest better ways of using Government Information has actually published their interim report back to government in a ‘wiki-like’ form to allow comments from the community before final publication. I remember the last time I suggested a Wiki as a way to collaborate in a criminal justice forum, my ears popped from the collective sharp intake of breath. Way to go Power of Information task force! Was it an open source Wiki? Well maybe next time!
Fortunately the wider world has seen fit to encompass the Open Source ideal, which has led to some robust and sustainable enterprise–class business models developing for the support of the software. The cry of the suppliers about the lack of security and support now sounds a little hollow. The announced ‘programme of positive action’ and the requirement for a ‘level playing field’ between open source and proprietary software may be the beginning of the end for massively overpriced Government contracts with proprietary lock in. The Government has anounced that it will use open standards in its procurement specifications and require solutions to comply with open standards. About time too!
My thanks go to Tony Dixon over at Red Hat for the pointer.
Resources:
- Government’s updated policy and action plan on Open Source, Open Standards and Reuse
- Cabinet Office dashboard