British government decided to encourage the use of open source software in public services.

Tom Watson MP, minister for digital engagement said that open source software would be on a level playing field with proprietary software such as Windows. Open Source delivered the best value for money, while public services should avoid bonding with proprietary software, continued Tom Watson.

Licenses for the use of Open source in general are free and open to accepted standards, while their own program code may be modified without fear of encroachment of intellectual property and copyrights. Government action plan could put the open-source software (office applications, document management and database management) to be a base to many large IT systems.

Chief open source officer for Sun Microsystems, Simon Phipps, said that the attitude of the British government is start of the global movement for Open Source in the public services. He added: “We waste a fortune on proprietary computer software because of paying for licenses and promises up front and not demanding value.”

Read more at news.bbc.co.uk

Tags | Linux, Open Source, Software, Technology News