by: Michael Barkoviak
The UK government is reportedly now backing open source, and is willing to give it a shot
The UK government plans to begin adopting more open source software among its public work departments, government officials have publicly announced.
More specifically, the UK government would put open source software on equal footing when deciding between proprietary software or open source software, which could give open source a big boost.
"We waste a fortune on proprietary computer software because of paying for licenses and promises up front and not demanding value," Sun Microsystems open source officer Simon Phipps said.
The proposed change away from Microsoft and other software with heavy licensing fees could save the UK government near £600m per year, open source supporters said.
"Open source has been one of the most significant cultural developments in IT and beyond over the last two decades: it has shown that individuals, working together over the Internet, can create products that rival and sometimes beat those of giant corporations," said Tom Watson, UK Minister for Digital Engagement.
It's possible some UK offices would start the transition slowly -- rather than change from Windows to Linux overnight, it's possible they'll dump Microsoft Office in favor of Open Office. Furthermore, the government could deploy open source software to tackle document management and database infrastructure, though specific open source software programs were not named.
There are some departments currently in negotiations with Microsoft to renew their contracts and upgrade to the latest Microsoft software, though there are still a number of UK departments and contractors interested in giving open source software a try sometime in the future.
There have been governments spread across the world that have considered adopting open source technology instead of paying millions for proprietary software. The transition has been most prominent among poorer nations, but several countries in the European Union (EU) have also taken note of the proposed benefits of open source.
