A few days ago, I installed Ubuntu on my computer. Unlike other Linux distributions that I’ve tried, it works excellent despite the fact that I have no Linux experience. The hardware is automatically identified and most applications can be installed using a simple GUI. The only thing that took a while was to install NVIDIA:s graphics drivers.
Free open-source software is becoming an ever more important part of our economy. Business models that aren’t based on selling copies of an immaterial good – and controlling that no one else distributes copies – are especially interesting when we know that controlling the distribution cannot be combined with the citizens’ right to privacy.
The government should, whenever possible, avoid proprietary software that makes us dependent on closed formats, thereby stifling competition. Therefore, I have addressed the following question to our IT Minister Åsa Torstensson:
The Dutch government has started a project to lower their software-license costs by using open-source software and open standards. By enabling agencies to choose between several vendors, the cost for software and services can be pressed down. According to Techworld Open Source(in Swedish), the Dutch government expects to save $7 million only from using open-source software to administer their real-estate register.
Agencies and other government organizations use lots of different software to perform their tasks, store information and communicate with citizens. When proprietary software is used, there is a risk of getting locked into formats that will be expensive to replace in the future. It’s also unacceptable to demand that citizens buy certain commercial software to access public information. This could be the case when using proprietary document formats or when offering web applications that require Internet Explorer, excluding those who use other web browsers or operating systems for which Internet Explorer is not available. The government rewards individual companies when using too much proprietary software at the expense of competitors and tax payers.
Taking this into account, which initiatives will the Minister take to explore how open-source software and open standards can save tax-payer money and benefit agencies and individuals?
