Denmark urges government support for open source
Matthew Broersma Oct 23 2003

Open source software and open standards are vital for any attempt at
e-government, argues a new report from Denmark

... While a number of governments in Europe and elsewhere are eyeing open
source software as a way of cutting costs and stimulating localised
software development, the Danish study goes a step further, arguing that
public sector support for open-source and open standards may be
necessary for there to be any real competition in the software market.

"Open-source software represents a serious technical and economic
alternative to proprietary software -- even where there are proprietary
industry standards," the report said. Open-source software licences
allow anyone to modify and redistribute the source code of the
applications, meaning no one organisation controls the software's
development ..

"It is... not sufficient for us in Denmark to follow Britain and
Germany, for example, in merely recommending that open source should be
'considered'. A more active decision must be taken in those areas where
there is a de facto monopoly."

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http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/lin...9117341,00.htm