GOC

The Netherlands Economic Affairs Ministry has set a deadline of April 2008 for its agencies to start using open source software — a move signifying the nation’s push to embrace open software.  The plan was approved unanimously at a meeting of two parliamentary commissions.

 

According to an Associated Press report, ministry spokesman Edwin van Scherrenburg said government organizations could still use proprietary software and formats, but they will have to justify the usage of such software under the new policy. The Netherlands government expects to save at least $8.8 million a year on city housing registers alone after switching to open source.

 

This means Microsoft (News - Alert) will have act soon it may lose ground in the government space. In fact, the company has already started working on this front. Its first aim is to achieve “open source” certification for its Open Office XML standard. However, it has yet to receive endorsement from the International Standards Organization, the certifying authority recognized by the Dutch government.

 

According to the AP report, Microsoft Netherlands spokesman Hans Bos thinks the company’s Word documents were still allowed as equal alternatives for the moment. He also expects to receive approval soon for Microsoft’s Open Office XML to qualify as open source.

 

Microsoft has said it is worried about and opposed to the Netherlands government’s policy that its agencies should prefer only open source. Said Bos: “We think it’s not in the best interest of the wider software market to single out one model for endorsement like this.”