gnu [3]

In a bold move (as first spotted by /. [4]) the Office of the e-Envoy (OeE) have released a policy on Open Source Software (OSS) usage within Government!

There is currently a consultation document [5] that is quite aware of the issues involved.
The current draft (10/12/01) talks of 'seek(ing) to avoid lock-in to proprietry IT products' and that OSS solutions will be 'considered alongside proprietry ones'.

The policy covers the whole of Government, agencies, local government, and the wider public sector including the NHS.

There is a also a background research document [6] from QinetiQ that gives an educated view of the OSS scene and the issues involved in integrating OSS into Government.

I think this will be a significant, far reaching change in the IT marketplace. The question remains whether the companies that have based their business models entirely on proprietry solutions can evolve sufficiently to keep up with the changes, or whether a crop of new or emerging companies already based around OSS will rise up in their place?

What do you think?
Note: Definition of Open Source Software [7] or preferably visit the UK Mirror [8] of the same document