__/ [ B Gruff ] on Saturday 23 December 2006 17:06 \__
> On Saturday 23 December 2006 11:40 Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>
>> City of Amsterdam announces experiment with open-source software
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>> | The City of Amsterdam said Friday it will spend euro300,000
>> | (US$400,00) testing open source software in two administrative
>> | districts in 2007, in a potential blow for the city's current
>> | main supplier, Microsoft Corp.
>> |
>> | Open source software is developed for free by volunteer
>> | programmers, and leased by providers who usually only charge
>> | for service and support.
>> |
>> | City spokeswoman Marjolijn van Goethem said Amsterdam's
>> | housing department and one of its borough offices _ Zeeburg _
>> | would test a Linux-based operating system on city computers,
>> | and open-source document software, replacing Microsoft Windows
>> | and Office.
>> `----
>>
>> http://people.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=91834
>
> Oh dear oh dear.
> About 2 years ago in this group I said
> ...Germany => France => Holland..............=>U.K.
>
> Wish I'd bought a lottery ticket that day....
True, and it's not just Amsterdam.
Large Dutch cities supporting open source
,----[ Quote ]
| Arthur Buijs from the Dutch OpenOffice.org community just pointed me
| to this Dutch article. According to the article, a number of large
| Dutch cities including Almere, Assen, Eindhoven, Enschede,
| Groningen, Haarlem, Leeuwarden and Nijmegen have decided to
| support open source. The article says that the cities are
| interested in open source because Microsoft software is being
| perceived as expensive and the software does not not work well
| together with competitive products on other platforms.
|
| [...]
|
| Here is the full article: A large number of big cities don't want
| to be dependent of Microsoft anymore. Together they have 1.2 million
| inhabitants. They demand open source software from their suppliers.
| Almost all desktops run Microsoft Windows and also have word
| processors and spreadsheets made by the American software giant
| installed. It has been some time that counties - and not only in
| the Netherlands - try to be less dependent of Microsoft. For some
| time there have been very good alternative programs. Some are even
| free of charge. In real life, they are rarely used because
| ict-companies do not support them. Attempts to force them have run
| into problems with European legislation. Eight large Dutch counties
| have now taken the first step by publishing a manifest calling on
| ict-companies to support open source. In fact Almere, Assen,
| Eindhoven, Enschede, Groningen, Haarlem, Leeuwarden and Nijmegen are
| giving a message to these suppliers, saying they don't stand a chance
| getting major orders if they don't comply. Some of these counties
| have already dumped their suppliers for that reason. The software
| of Microsoft - and some other leading (database) companies - is not
| only expensive. Another problem is that their data is not exchangable
| with competitors programs. These software giants also invent new
| standards, forcing their clients to buy new software and convert
| their data to those new standards. Dutch government promotes the
| use of open standards and open source by their Ososs program. A
| spokesman of Ososs says the action of these counties is a true
| breakthrough for open source software.
`----
http://blogs.sun.com/dancer/entry/large_dutch_cities_supporting_open
Yesterday I received an E-mail which confirmed that 97 (!!!) MP's have signed
the EDM, which requests using Open Source software in UK schools. Get those
lottery tickets before it's too late. *smile* We sent it out to the wires on
the 19th...
http://jguk.org/2006/12/how-about-open-mobile-phone-platform_18.html
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/8943
http://www.computing.co.uk/vnunet/news/2171238/becta-dismisses-waste-report
http://www.itweek.co.uk/vnunet/news/2171238/becta-dismisses-waste-report
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=36464
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2171238/becta-dismisses-waste-report
http://tech.netscape.com/story/2006/12/19/uk-government-criticised-for-stifling-open-source-in-schools/
http://www.digg.com/linux_unix/UK_Government_criticised_for_stifling_open_source_in_schools
Among many more...
Related:
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2005/05/13/ms_not_worried/
MS unfazed by OSS schools report
http://www.computing.co.uk/vnunet/news/2127311/uk-schools-wasting-millions-microsoft
UK schools 'wasting millions' on Microsoft
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39284874,00.htm
MPs: Open source faces exclusion in schools
--
~~ Kind greetings and happy holidays!
Roy S. Schestowitz | "Life is too short to proofread"
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