From: Ad 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6430069.stm

"The government could save more than œ600 million a year if it used
more open source software, the shadow chancellor has estimated.

George Osborne said the savings would cut 5% off Whitehall's annual IT bill.

He called for a more "level playing field" for all software
companies, and urged "cultural change" in government.

Open source software allows users to read, alter and improve its code - in
contrast to proprietary software where a company controls the source code.

In a speech on Thursday, Mr Osborne said that despite a government report
in 2004 saying there would be "significant savings" in hardware
and software if open source software was used, many government departments
had not implemented it.

"The problem is that the cultural change has not taken place in
government," he said.

He listed various countries which have successfully used open source
software for government projects, including Japan switching its entire
payroll system over with an expected halving of costs.

In the UK some public bodies had used open source software, such as Bristol
City Council and Carmathenshire County Council, with savings.

The Department for Education and Skills found that on average primary
schools using open source software cut IT costs per PC by 50%, he said.
"

aDAM

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