Netherlands Adopts Open-Source Software

[Cyrus_the_virus]

The Dutch government has set a soft deadline of April 2008 for its agencies to start using open-source software — freely distributed programs that anyone can modify — the Netherlands Economic Affairs Ministry said Thursday.

Government organizations will still be able to use proprietary software and formats but will have to justify it under the new policy, ministry spokesman Edwin van Scherrenburg said.

Van Scherrenburg said the plan was approved unanimously at a meeting of two parliamentary commissions on Wednesday.

Many governments worldwide have begun testing open-source software to cut costs and eliminate dependency on individual companies such as Microsoft Corp. The government estimates it would save $8.8 million a year on city housing registers alone after switching to open source.

Microsoft has raced to achieve "open source" certification for its Open Office XML standard, but has so far failed to receive endorsement from the International Standards Organization, the certifying authority recognized by the Dutch government.

Microsoft Netherlands spokesman Hans Bos noted that its Word documents were still allowed as equal alternatives for the moment and said he expects the company to receive approval soon for its Open Office XML to qualify as open source.

But he said the company was worried about and opposed other aspects of the Dutch policy, especially the provision that agencies should prefer open source.

"We think it's not in the best interest of the wider software market to single out one model for endorsement like this," he said.

The numerous European towns and cities, notably Munich, Germany, and Vienna, Austria, using open-source systems remain a tiny slice of the overall software market.

The Dutch policy directs government organizations at the national level to be ready to use the Open Document Format to save documents by April, and at the state and local level by 2009.

Source: AP

[NucleusKore]

Originally Posted by Cyrus_the_virus

Microsoft Netherlands spokesman Hans Bos noted that its Word documents were still allowed as equal alternatives for the moment and said he expects the company to receive approval soon for its Open Office XML to qualify as open source.

But he said the company was worried about and opposed other aspects of the Dutch policy, especially the provision that agencies should prefer open source.

"We think it's not in the best interest of the wider software market to single out one model for endorsement like this," he said.

Mr. Hans Bos, I am sure that you would not say that if your company's products were officially endorsed. Because its open source its wrong and evil?

[Cyrus_the_virus]

Originally Posted by NucleusKore

Mr. Hans Bos, I am sure that you would not say that if your company's products were officially endorsed. Because its open source its wrong and evil?

How dare you question Microsoft who has bought outright the US judicial system?

They run the Judicial system in the US and hence sue anyone they want and do what ever anti-competitive practises they want. Dumb US consumers don't seem to realize that. But their monopoly certainly doesn't seem to be working anywhere else in the world especially in the EU.

[NucleusKore]

Yes, try getting that across here

[Cyrus_the_virus]

Originally Posted by NucleusKore

Yes, try getting that across here

That lawsuit is more to do with open standards for browsers and less to do with bundling of IE although that is part of the lawsuit. When the general public looks at it, all they see is a lawsuit for bundling IE with windows but the rest of the industry is backing opera on other specifics like the open standards compatibility like I mentioned. And who would listen after all that talk of over 7pages? Just take a look at this to know a bit more about the lawsuit