U.K. opposition leader calls for greater open-source adoption

Shadow chancellor George Osborne has called for an overhaul of the government’s approach to open source, arguing that greater use in the public sector could save ??600 million ($1.1 million U.S.) a year.

Osborne warned that too many companies had been ???frozen out of government IT contracts???, stifling competition and driving up costs. ???Not a single open source company is included in Catalyst, the government??™s list of approved IT suppliers,??? he said.

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.
U.K. opposition leader calls for greater open-source adoption

9 March 2007 | Software | Comments