Open Source Software Gets Boost in UK

The government of the United Kingdom has given Open Source Software (OSS) a boost with the release of a new policy endorsing its use alongside traditional proprietary software. Open Source software is not free. It makes source code publicly available under a licence defined by the Open Source Initiative. The license allows the software to be freely modified and improved, so long as it is redistributed under the same open source licence terms. The Linux operating system is perhaps the most successful and best-known OSS product. According to the new OSS policy, the UK government will:

• consider OSS solutions alongside proprietary ones in IT procurements. Contracts will be awarded on a value for money basis;
• only use products for interoperability that support open standards and specifications in all future IT developments;
• consider obtaining full rights to bespoke software code or customisations of COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) software it procures wherever this achieves best value for money; and
• explore further the possibilities of using OSS as the default exploitation route for government funded R&D software.

For a copy of the UK policy, visit: http://makeashorterlink.com/?S3B412932 For information on the Open Source Initiative, visit: http://www.opensource.org