Version 2.0 of the policy document outlines the UK’s attitude towards the use of open source software within government, and updates the Cabinet Office’s initial statement from July 2002.
It also follows the publication late last week of a separate report by the Office of Government Commerce that led it to call open source software a viable and creditable alternative to proprietary software after proof-of-concept open source trials.
The policy does not appear to have been influenced by the positive attitude of the OGC to open source software following the proof-of-concept trials. The policy still states that open source software should be considered alongside proprietary software with contracts awarded on a value-for-money basis.
It also once again states that agencies should attempt to avoid vendor lock-in to proprietary products, and that the government will consider obtaining full rights to bespoke software code or customizations of commercial off-the-shelf software where it achieves the best value for money.
The main change comes in the attitude towards open source as the license choice for publicly funded R&D projects. The policy previously stated: UK government will explore further the possibilities of using OSS as the default exploitation route for government funded R&D software.
That has now been amended to state that R&D software will now be exploited either commercially, within an academic community, or as open source software, with the proposed route specified at the start of the project.
The justification for the policy has also changed to explain this decision, with a new paragraph stating: There is a need to maximize returns on and benefits from public investment in publicly funded R&D software. The policy helps achieve this through the focus on and requirement for the exploitation of software outputs.
The new policy also explains how the UK Government’s attitude towards open source software will be put into practice, with the Department of Trade and Industry, the e-Government Unit, and the Joint Information Systems Committee disseminating information about open source licenses to support the use and development of open source software.
The DTI, Research Councils and JISC will also explore the feasibility of providing unified access to publicly funded R&D open source software, while the e-Government Unit will also explore with the Government and industry further activities to support OSS use in the public sector.
