Government opens up to idea of free Open Source software

By RICHARD WOOD

The Open Source movement has received a boost from a Government report describing the software as "generally a viable alternative" to commercial software.

A State Services Commission briefing paper sent to department chief executives encouraged them to look at Open Source, among other options, and will be brought to the attention of Government IT procurement staff.

Open Source advocates claimed this was a policy change from a Government that has previously been more hands-off.

The author of the report, e-government unit director Brendan Boyle, said the paper simply clarified the status quo: "It's reminding and clarifying that considering Open Source in terms of value for money and fitness for purpose is entirely consistent with good practice and the Government procurement policy."

But State Services Minister Trevor Mallard said e-government policy on Open Source was evolving.

Alison Fleming, general manager information and facilities for the Department of Internal Affairs, said the letter was a reminder to make the best decisions with public money.

"What's being suggested is in the past people have slavishly gone along with what they've been using, without stopping to consider there might be viable economic alternatives."

Fleming said Internal Affairs had previously looked at Open Source but not regarded it as a practical option. It intended to do some research work this financial year.

Boyle said the report had been researched over a six-month period and was not related to current negotiations between an all-of-government purchasing group and Microsoft in a deal worth $20 million.

The commission has promised to continue to monitor Open Source market trends on behalf of Government agencies, but Boyle denied it was compensating for the lack of marketing muscle of Open Source supporters.

Some Governments were explicitly backing Open Source software, but the report said New Zealand should follow the UK and take a neutral position. Government agencies should be encouraged to assess Open Source alternatives when buying software, and make independent software decisions based on cost, function, interoperability and security.

Chris Hegan, CEO of Open Source integrator Asterisk, said Open Source was more secure due to being a lower-profile target for hackers.

What is Open Source?

* Open Source software is usually developed by on-line communities of programmers and provided free to use and modify on the condition modified works remain free.

* Governments worldwide have been developing approaches to using Open Software, ranging from treating it the same as other software, through to requiring its use as the default in Government.

Open source software: briefing to the Minister of State Services