The Change Mariner

Open Source Software Penetrates Government

InfoWorld:

2004 may be the year for open source software to catch on in a big way in government agencies. For years, federal, state, and local agencies have been using open source software - some in the open, some on the sly - but the extent of open source's proliferation in public agencies remains unknown, as few hard numbers are available.

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According to Stanco and other open source advocates, this change in attitude toward open source software may be attributed to agencies -- need to reel in software spending and their IT staffs -- desire to tinker with code. With open source, agencies wouldn't be tied to the whims of one software vendor; instead, a community of developers would control an open source project.

Open source software may also attract government users because the code can be exchanged between agencies, which are all watching their budgets. Agencies, which often develop their own specialized applications, view open source not only as a means to slash development costs but also as a vehicle for sharing their projects without worrying about licensing fees.