When is 25 percent more than one quarter of the cost?
Leading by Example

Governments need a better understanding of the flexibility and security of open source software.
Recently, I visited a country that is considering a new law regarding government software purchases. To paraphrase the law, it requires that free and open source software be purchased for government uses unless no free and open source solution exists. If a proprietary solution is chosen, the solution must be justified. I happened to arrive on the day the subcommittee was considering this law, and they invited me to give my input.
I mentioned some of the common arguments in favor of FOSS. I told them that although private companies can make the case for short-term expediency through proprietary solutions, governments must consider additional criteria. A government handles public money, and therefore must take the long-term view. Governments need to consider the effect on their country if the software becomes unavailable some time in the future. What happens if the company goes out of business or simply stops producing a product? Does the government have the source code for the solution in escrow? If so, can the government find the programmers familiar enough with that software to change it to meet the government's needs? Who pays the cost of upgrading that proprietary software – which could include new hardware – and migration? What happens if an economic embargo is imposed by the country of the company producing the software? Can the government continue to get the software support necessary to keep their software working?
If the software is open source, the government can continue to use, update, and customize the program regardless of what happens to the company or person who originally wrote the software. In fact, in many cases, the government might not have to do anything at all because a community project will spring up to maintain the program.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.
-
Linux Kernel 6.14 Released
The latest Linux kernel has arrived with extra Rust support and more.
-
EndeavorOS Mercury Neo Available
A new release from the EndeavorOS team ships with Plasma 6.3 and other goodies.
-
Fedora 42 Beta Has Arrived
The Fedora Project has announced the availability of the first beta release for version 42 of the open-source distribution.
-
Dash to Panel Maintainer Quits
Charles Gagnon has stepped away as maintainer of the popular Dash to Panel Gnome extension.
-
CIQ Releases Security-Hardened Version of Rocky Linux
If you're looking for an enterprise-grade Linux distribution that is hardened for business use, there's a new version of Rocky Linux that's sure to make you and your company happy.
-
Gnome’s Dash to Panel Extension Gets a Massive Update
If you're a fan of the Gnome Dash to Panel extension, you'll be thrilled to hear that a new version has been released with a dock mode.
-
Blender App Makes it to the Big Screen
The animated film "Flow" won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards held on March 2, 2025 and Blender was a part of it.
-
Linux Mint Retools the Cinnamon App Launcher
The developers of Linux Mint are working on an improved Cinnamon App Launcher with a better, more accessible UI.
-
New Linux Tool for Security Issues
Seal Security is launching a new solution to automate fixing Linux vulnerabilities.