Use of external open source software open source software oss is software that allows its recipients to modify and redistribute the source code. Whatever happens, even if the initial solution provider fails to complete an implementation or no longer supports its product, governments retain the right to use and modify the opensource software. This way, their software remains free of charge, and they make money helping others install, use and troubleshoot it. Home opinions technology should governments use open source software. Publish your code and use open source to improve transparency, flexibility and accountability. Open source advocates wanted to focus on the practical benefits of using open source software that would appeal more to businesses, rather than ethics and morals. Dod open source software oss faq frequently asked questions regarding open source software oss and the department of defense dod this page is an educational resource for government employees and government contractors to understand the policies and legal issues relating to the use of open source software oss in the department of defense dod.
Frequently asked questions about copyright and computer. Uk government plans switch from microsoft office to open source en. Ben balter is a senior product manager at github, the worlds largest software development network, where he oversees the platforms community and safety efforts. At the canadian governments website, you can see open source software frequently asked questions and get some information about use of oss in canada. Opensource software advocate evan leibovitch said he hopes the request will lead to government policies that give a level playing field to vendors of opensource software services, who provide.
Government promotion of open source the phenomenon of governments formulating. How to choose the best license for your open source software project getting the right license for your open source project can mean the difference between success and failure for your software. I joined a panel this past weekend at the free software foundation conference libreplanet on this topic and have covered it previously in a journal article and talk. Petition for mandating use of free and open source software. Open source software oss is software licensed to users under an open source license, which generally allow users the freedom to access and use the software source code for any purpose, to study and modify the software, and to redistribute copies of the original and modified software without payment of royalties. Open source license is a license to use software that provides the licensee the freedom to use the software for any purpose, to study and modify the software, and to redistribute copies of the original or. In addition, the dutch government will be promoting open source software across the public and private sector. Use of open source software by the brazilian government tim. Earlier this year, we noted that the federal government was looking to further embrace open source software in its process of contracting out for or creating in house code. The public sector and public governments should use the software that lets them provide the desired services best, longterm.
How to choose the best license for your open source. Tons of documents flow through the levels of government office, and every computer that wants to read them has to pay for the software to do so. Pursuing adoption of free and open source software in. The uk government embraces open source with the help of. Add a new topic should governments use open source software. Open source software thrives in government and is in some ways a technical expression of democracy. It released a draft policy which was good, though we hoped the final product would be much stronger for example, it pushed for a portion of any code to be released. The growing use of open source software by governments has shifted from. And in august, the us government issued a new federal software policy that aims to improve efficiency, transparency, and innovation across government by promoting the use of open.
In october, the dutch government set into law a proposal that all government bodies should use open document formats starting in 2017. Oct 16, 20 right now, hundreds of thousands of people use opensource software when developing projects. The us government will now require some federal tech projects to be open source. Include an open source software option maintained or.
What should governments examine in acquiring open source. The latest evidence is the office of management and budgets draft federal sourcing policy a forwardlooking policy in many respects that, with some clarifications, could be even better. You need sound coding skills to create good software, but the success of an open source project can also depend on something much less glamorous. Sep 15, 2017 the open source software movement was created to focus on more pragmatic reasons for choosing this type of software.
Should governments choose open source software in order to. Flexibility and customizability if you use a proprietary software like microsoft. As mentioned in preface, it becomes obvious that free and open source software foss should be made mandatory in education as a government policy. The mood in governments around the world has swung behind open. Finally, open source software gets adapted to a variety of use cases, not just the one the publisher originally intended, surfacing bugs and edge cases much more rapidly than traditional, predictive qa processes. Include an open source software option maintained or developed in house for major software requests for proposals rfp. Although open source software consumption in government is strong, the next phase is for agencies to contribute to the projects they care about most. If software is funded from a public source, its code should be. Meanwhile, using opensource software would improve competition in. Right now, hundreds of thousands of people use opensource software when developing projects. Opensourcesoftware in offentlichen einrichtungen wikipedia. Adoption of free and opensource software by public.
How open source fits into government it strategy where appropriate, government will procure open source solutions. It then makes an effort to describe the specific conditions in public administrations where the use of free or open source software is recommended. Achieving efficiency, transparency, and innovation through reusable and open source software the u. Why the obamacare website was destined to bomb bloomberg. Another major difficulty is the lack of local technical expertise to support oss. Despite its large following, open source software suffers from. As a result, open source software has its benefits cost, flexibility, freedom, security, and. May 23, 2016 use standard government technology components where possible use software that other departments have built, and make it easy to use software that you build read the application programming. The uk government is looking to embrace open source via a governmentcentric fork of libreoffice. Open source software institute is a membershipbased, nonprofit 501 c6 organization established in 2001 that promotes the development and implementation of open source software solutions within us federal, state and local government agencies. More governments move to free open source software to save.
Mar 31, 2015 the indian government has decreed the use of open source software across all systems used by the public sector, mandating that all request for proposals rfps to instruct suppliers to consider. Apr 28, 2016 2 a portion of that new custom code be released to the public as open source software. Below are only a few resources that may help departments and agencies understand the value of open source software and development communities within the public sector, as well as how public institutions can engage with. Government policy toward open source software brookings. Government is committed to improving the way federal agencies buy.
Opensource software fits this practice well because it reduces a governments reliance on a single vendor. The government rides on its paperwork, or in the modern day, its digital files. As a result, open source software has its benefits cost, flexibility, freedom, security, and community. Open source software faq dod cio department of defense. Publicsector developers that contribute to open source communities can reap significant benefits. Use of open source software by the brazilian government.
Only software licensed under an osiapproved open source license should be labeled open source software. Apr 07, 2016 the following advantages of using open source software in government may allay these unfounded concerns. But its also often misunderstood in parts of the public sector, seen as a timeconsuming and unsupported solution. Governments tend to favor the usage of open source software. As a matter of fact, almost all proprietary programs and os have free software replacements, some being even better. Free and open source software creates a natural and even necessary fit with government. What is open source software and how can you use it for. Using free, opensource software in local governments. Jack wallen ponders why this is important and how it can succeed. Should governments choose open source software in order to encourage its use.
Have a senior body in the government of canada state that, where possible, software developed inside government should be open source. Should all government it systems be using open source. What is open source software, and why does it matter. Keralas governments support for free software in 2001 is perhaps the earliest instance of a government supporting the use of free software. Jun 03, 2015 ben balter is a senior product manager at github, the worlds largest software development network, where he oversees the platforms community and safety efforts named one of the top 25 most influential people in government and technology, fed50s disruptor of the year, and winner of the open source peoples choice award, ben previously served as githubs government evangelist. When used in conjunction with compulsory open standards, open source presents significant opportunities for the design and delivery of interoperable solutions. In january 2010, the government of jordan announced that it has formed a partnership with ingres corporation, a leading opensource databasemanagement company based in the united states that is. Closed source software can be defined as proprietary software distributed under a licensing agreement to authorized users with private modification, copying, and republishing restrictions. While it is free and the code is open and any agencys computer experts can go into the program and make modifications, use of the software is covered by. Government is committed to improving the way federal agencies buy, build, and deliver information technology it and software solutions to better support cost efficiency, mission effectiveness, and the consumer. Open source software has seen massive growth and acceptance in the business world, and for good reason. Whatever happens, even if the initial solution provider fails to complete an implementation or. We provided feedback on a few different areas of the proposed policy.
But its capability for transforming the delivery of digital government services means theres a bestuse place for open source software in every government technology portfolio. Using opensource software, which is based on open standards that facilitate data transfer, makes it easier to achieve it homogeneity, and thus increase compatibility, across agencies by combining or adapting systems in ways that improve data access and transfer. To understand why free software isnt free, we should consider the. The indian government has decreed the use of open source software across all systems used by the public sector, mandating that all request for proposals rfps to instruct suppliers to. Open source software open government, government of canada.
According to the free software movements leader, richard stallman, the main difference is that by choosing one term over the other i. If the government uses open source software, then the government is at risk because the security flaws are exposed publicly. Yes, the government should use open source software, not only to encourage its use, but to also save a lot of money. Frequently asked questions regarding open source software oss and the department of defense dod this page is an educational resource for government employees and government contractors to understand the policies and legal issues relating to the use of open source software oss in the department of defense dod. The argument continues with, the use of proprietary. Government promotion of open source the phenomenon of governments formulating legislation and policies on open source software is a recent trend that seems to be gathering some momentum in certain regions. What license should the government or contractor choose.
Hahn t his chapter provides a brief overview of policy issues associated with open source software and offers an economic. Should governments choose open source software in order. Open source software advocate evan leibovitch said he hopes the request will lead to government policies that give a level playing field to vendors of open source software services, who provide. Flexibility and customizability if you use a proprietary software like microsoft, you will be familiar with the unofficial updating protocol that is followed. Adoption of free and opensource software by public institutions. A great challenge for the government is to really change the use of proprietary office software to an open source office suite. Many local, regional, and national governments are engaged with open source software and communities. The guidance document, which went out to all french government administrations, first provides a tutorial on the development, use, and efficacy of the free software or open source model. An important fix for the federal open source software policy. Copyright notices for open source projects ben balter. The government should be required to use open source. Ossis efforts have focused on promoting adoption of open source software programs and policies. In january 2010, the government of jordan announced that it has formed a partnership with ingres corporation, a leading open source databasemanagement company based in the united states that is now known as actian corporation, to promote the use of open source software starting with university systems in jordan. The us government will now require some federal tech.
Areas that are vital for government work, and a government should not restrict itself. A second study for this committee meeting argues that the use of open source. Wheeler institute for defense analyses february 2, 2004 this presentation contains the views of the author and does not indicate. Nov 09, 2015 the uk government is looking to embrace open source via a government centric fork of libreoffice.
The use of open source software is growing at an exponential rate, especially by governments and companies who are desperate to reduce cost. The following advantages of using open source software in government may allay these unfounded concerns. It is available and open to anyone who would like to copy, use, edit and contribute for any purpose. When to use commercial offtheshelf cots technology 18f. Open source software is more than simply published code.
That includes the worlds largest corporations, countless startups, and many government. Ultimately, both open source and free software advocates are. How to choose the best license for your open source software. I joined a panel this past weekend at the free software foundation conference. An important fix for the federal open source software. Apr, 2016 the growing use of open source software by governments has shifted from whether to use to how to deploy. Us government now has an official open source software policy. The internationally recognized open source definition provides ten criteria that must be met for any software license, and the software distributed under that license, to be labeled open source software. That includes the worlds largest corporations, countless startups, and many government agencies.
Nov 15, 2016 it is available and open to anyone who would like to copy, use, edit and contribute for any purpose. Should all government it systems be using open source software. Sadly, there are many areas where no free software of adequate quality exists. Perhaps because many free software coders have been outsiders and rebels, less attention is paid to the use of open source in government. Often, when government looks to recompete or start a new it project, theyre presented with a commercial offtheshelf cots solution that promises to do exactly what is needed outofthe. Four myths about open source in government contributed. Moreover, while open source software is generally freely available to all, open source programmers can charge money for the software services and support rather than for the software itself. Petition for mandating use of free and open source. Indian government mandates use of open source software zdnet. Open source software oss is software licensed to users under an open source license, which generally allow users the freedom to access and use the software source code for any purpose, to study and. No, they should not exclusively use free software sorry, open source guys, i never hopped on that bandwaggon but they should have a strong preference for it. Writing at linux journal, glyn moody reports that dozens of government it systems are switching to open source software. Frequently answered questions open source initiative. Nov 17, 2016 and in august, the us government issued a new federal software policy that aims to improve efficiency, transparency, and innovation across government by promoting the use of open source.
During the global financial meltdown in 20082009, many organizations or businesses turn to open source software like the linux operating system, openoffice, mozilla thunderbird instead of conventional proprietary software such as windows os and microsoft. Open source software and the department of defense. The department should instead seize this opportunity to make greater use of open source methods and more fully embrace the use of open source software. The vast majority of the internet is created with open source software. Or in layman terms, the source code is not shared with the public for anyone to look at or change.
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