Open Source Software in Government

Almost every government around the globe is considering the use of open source software. It is reported that they have been doing research to facilitate the development or the adoption of the open source software. Among others, they consider that open source is a less costly alternative that encourages the development local software industry which is crucial to establish cheaper IT standards in the long run. Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, France, Italy and Peru have considered legislation mandating the use of open source software, while Bahrain, Belgium, China and Hong Kong, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Poland, Portugal, the Philippines, and South Africa have policies to give open source options preferential treatment. Recently, Venezuela plans to migrate to open source software in governmental agencies and has founded an open source academy to provide expert support. More.