Open source and open standards in the Dutch government
In February 2003, the program “Open Standards and Open Source Software (OSSOS) for the Dutch government” started, funded by the Dutch government. One of the main tasks was to make the government independent from single software suppliers, among which are Microsoft and SAP. After three years, the effort starts bearing fruit. Ten big municipalities - together 2,7 million inhabitants and including Amsterdam and The Hague - signed a manifest. I’ll try to explain what’s in the manifest, what that might mean for the future, and for the monopoly of Microsoft in the Dutch government.
is the opening paragraph of this piece from lxer.com. Related stories have popped up recently. There is a sceptical view here; for more on the Birmingham trial mentioned go here.