A 2009 dod memo stated that open source software is safe to use and has attributes that should be encouragedwas the final measure needed to legitamize open source in government. The broad criteria for open source software to be listed in this options set is that there should be a realistic opportunity for use in government. Like any technology product, open source software isnt right for every application in every government agency. With thousands of oss projects made available, code. To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on. Whatever happens, even if the initial solution provider fails to complete an implementation or.
Top 5 misconceptions about open source in government. Why open source software matters for government and civic tech. But its also often misunderstood in parts of the public sector, seen as a timeconsuming and unsupported solution. Open source software open government, government of canada.
Users can access the code and know exactly what the product is supposed to do with their data. To give you more insight as to the governments use of open source software, we sat down with wes caldwell, chief architect, intelligent software solutions iss. Achieving efficiency, transparency, and innovation through reusable and open source software. The director of defense and government solutions of wso2, a global enterprise middleware company, identifies top 5 misconceptions about open source software in government programs. In an attempt to reduce duplicating government it and software. But the use of more open source software in the federal government can help to offset these two problems, and as good stewards, it is our duty to do so where possible. Empower everyone in your organization with collaborative budget planning and automated workflow. Encourage software developers in the government of canada to use. Despite its large following, open source software suffers from. Sharing source code between different parts of the government makes a lot of sense. Instead, enterprise open source enables users to utilize software that is platform agnostic and enables the agency to make the hardware, operating system, and environment decisions that are. Us government now has an official open source software policy. As the institutional use of opensource software continues to expand like an octopus, the public sector remains a key target market. Keralas governments support for free software in 2001 is perhaps the earliest instance of a government supporting the use of free software.
Indian government mandates use of open source software. The federal policy is designed to support improved access to custom software code developed for the federal government. Countrys ministry of communication and information technology releases new policy that makes it mandatory for all e. Open source is a way of developing and distributing software. Department of defense is a 2003 report by the mitre corporation that documented widespread use of and reliance on free software termed foss. Here are 9 reasons behind the choice of open source government software. It released a draft policy which was good, though we hoped the final product would be much stronger for example, it pushed for a portion of any code to be released. In fact, its a policy that should have been passed a long time ago, but its not quite what most of us mean. How to use more open source in your next federal it. The california department of technology released a letter this week announcing a new policy called the open source and code reuse policy elevating the use of open source software. Deciding what you need technology to do, avoiding lockin, sharing software and choosing open source. Government users like linux and other opensource software for.
Open source software and open standards in the government. The briefing begins with a definition of free open source software, i. If software made available under an open source license will be used, the relevant questions you should ask should be related to the selection of the code, maintenance of the code, and compliance with the applicable license terms in your specific use case. The rise of open source use across state and local. Should all government it systems be using open source software.
When used in conjunction with compulsory open standards, open source presents significant opportunities for the design and delivery of interoperable solutions. To avoid having to rewrite old software code to function with new apps, governments are encouraging developers to use software with builtin. Everything a government attorney needs to know about open. A discussion on open source software and open standards in public administration took place last week at the canada school of public service. Plan, execute, measure, and communicate your governments budget and spending with opengov. Adoption of free and opensource software by public institutions. Those in government who write memos pertaining to open source, typically end up being the ones who write the policies for it too.
The open source siren song or an alternative to proprietary software. Open source software oss is often preferred for public utilities since they allow for transparency. Governments federal source code policy mandates 20. Indian government mandates use of open source software zdnet. Government uses open source software today more than ever. Open source software thrives in government and is in some ways a technical expression of democracy. Best practices for open source in government using github. This document presents options for open source software for use in government. The code is often written collaboratively, and it can be downloaded, used and changed by anyone. We are americas primary platform for aggregating open source software from the federal government. Inside the governments open source software conundrum.
Opensource software fits this practice well because it reduces a governments reliance on a single vendor. The best way to do that is by using tools to automatically check for violations of the open source use policy and keep a tab on newly discovered exploitable software vulnerabilities. The code is often written collaboratively, and it can be downloaded, used and. Software management plan update simm section 120 is updated to include the definition of open source software page 2, and to allow for the use of open source software within existing it. Four myths about open source in government contributed. Achieving efficiency, transparency, and innovation. As the government works to secure its tech amid a flood of new vulnerabilities, a new threat is emerging in the open source software world that will make it even more important for.
Under the dfars, which is typically used for dod contracts, the government can release software as open source. Earlier this year, we noted that the federal government was looking to further embrace open source software in its process of contracting out for or creating in house code. Furthermore, open source software can support the digital. Government policies on open source introduction open source software is a relatively recent phenomenon that has been steadily gaining in popularity. But if you want an effective open source program, you have to tightly integrate open source into how your agency procures, builds, and distributes technology. Open source software is more than simply software for which the underlying humanreadable code had been. The us government and opensource software linux journal. This helps longerterm flexibility, competition and choice. Frequently answered questions open source initiative. In short, once the government has unlimited rights, it has essentially the same rights as a holder, and can then use those rights to release that software under a variety of conditions including an open source software license, because it has the use and modify the software at will, and has the right to authorize others to do so. Open software chooses to keep software free to use and build on. Despite alleged barriers, public works said the government already makes use of some opensource software and that there is significant interest for its continued use, which is one motivator.
Governments federal source code policy mandates 20 percent open source. A recent global wave of legislation is compelling government agencies, and in some cases governmentowned companies, to use opensource or free software unless proprietary software is the only. In addition to streamlining software use in the federal government, the white house wants code. Governments tend to favor the usage of open source software. Work with interested parties inside the government of canada to produce guidelines or best practices for open source software. How open source fits into government it strategy where appropriate, government will procure open source solutions. Government agencies can and should participate in the open source community.
Eric mill 18f, david zvenyach 18f and henry poole civicactions discuss the relationship of free and open source software to agile development in the federal government. But when it comes to the larger issue about the general usage of proprietary vs. Keeping government secure and saving taxpayer money with open source there is a huge variety of free and open source software packages available that are already powering. Government is committed to improving the way federal agencies buy. Approximately 55 people attended in person while more than. Cio to develop a policy encouraging the use and sharing of open source code and reuse of federal code.
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