22 Apr 10 EU Calls For Open Standards in Government Software Purchasing
Those who know me well, know I’m no supporter of the European Union, and the direction it’s generally taking. Still, I will concede that sometimes, some of the mindless bureaucrats come out with a ‘good idea’.
Ministers responsible for telecommunications and Information Technology within the European Union have proposed that government agencies across Europe should buy non-proprietary software.
Like most corporations, Governments have generally bought software from the largest companies such as Microsoft. This can often mean that end users have to use compatible software to interact with such systems. One of the more common issues, is making it impossible to use a Government web site, perhaps to renew a licence or file a tax return online, unless using Internet Explorer.
Many people, myself included, neither like the IE interface, nor trust its security. In any case, not everyone runs Windows or even Mac systems, and IE will not natively run on Linux boxes .
The software guidelines that ministers are discussing here are known as the European Interoperability Framework, and the key is the promotion of open standards, and Europe wide compatibility.
Further reading can be found in this article from Paul Meller at Techworld
Tags: bureaucrats, compatible software, corporations, european union, government software, government web, governments, interoperability framework, linux boxes, mac systems, proprietary software, software guidelines, tax return, techworld, using internet
