The number of open source deployments by governments across the world has accelerated over the last few years. To date at least 160 international local and national governments have deployed open source software and over $2bn has been spent on the Linux open source operating system, according to figures from Linux vendor Red Hat.
The use of open source software varies widely between different countries, for example, while the UK government continues to strikes long-term multi-million pound deals with proprietary giant Microsoft, the French are enthusiastically adopting open source software in both national and local government agencies.
Outside the Western world, where cost becomes more of an issue, it might be expected that open source software would be more popular. While this is the case to some extent – it's not that clear cut. The Brazilian federal government is issuing policies strongly in favour of open source, but other countries have signed sweeping deals with Microsoft, such as the Eastern European state of Macedonia.
Deciding what lies at the heart of some countries almost zealous uptake of open source is not a simple as looking at the cold hard costs – politics, national security, anti-Americanism and innovation all have a part to play.
Part1: Europe and the US philosophically divided on open source? Some governments have embraced the potential of open source, while others seem culturally opposed to the whole concept
Part 2: Developing markets and anti-Americanism
Outside of the US and Europe, cost is a big motivator for using open source software — but it's not the only one
In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in
Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below
By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Membership FAQ
Hey - presume you mean something that builds on Apple's existing TV device? Apple have already had a couple of runs at building Apple TV and it's...
6 hours ago by Andrew Donoghue on Google's TV timing may reveal more to come
Google, Sony, Intel may build TV project www.zdnet.co.uk/news/emerging-tech/2010/03/18/google-sony-intel-may-build-tv-project-40088359/
6 hours ago on Twitter by BVE2011
70,0000 to 90,0000 computers? A very small number considering some of these botnets are in the millions, and there are so many of them operating,...
7 hours ago by ator1940 on Microsoft says it decimated Waledac botnet I agree Roger, and why can't they write secure code? What will happen when they find stolen code in windows? They have a track record of...
7 hours ago by ator1940 on Microsoft lashing out at Linux, open source Do you think it will really take days?
7 hours ago by ator1940 on Microsoft previews Internet Explorer 9 with HTML 5 support
Wonder how many days it will take before somebody codes an exploitive hack for IE9?
19 hours ago by Xwindowsjunkie on Microsoft previews Internet Explorer 9 with HTML 5 support
There are some really good people in Microsoft and I wonder, how embarassing it must be for them to see how the organisation behaves from it's...
1 day ago by roger andre on Microsoft lashing out at Linux, open source
Great new look for ZDNET UK web-site http://bit.ly/9R5eAA to check it out @ZDNetUK #zdnet
1 day ago on Twitter by ajclarke
Microsoft previews Internet Explorer 9 with HTML 5 support - zdnet.co.uk http://bit.ly/9FSh23
1 day ago on Twitter by feedfrog
We were just pondering on when IE will get HTML5 and CSS3 onboard! this is excellent
1 day ago by kencogold on Microsoft previews Internet Explorer 9 with HTML 5 support
RT @suziedaniels: relaunched www.zdnet.co.uk raises the bar yet again! its so fast it makes my eyes bleed.
1 day ago on Twitter by riptari This is brilliant - I borrowed one and straight away saw that a few AP`s were set up to the wrong country. It gives interference levels on each...
1 day ago by Bob Preece on Fluke Networks AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/networking/2010/03/11/european-parliament-votes-down-acta-treaty-40085614/ (Where does this leave #Debill?)
1 day ago on Twitter by _SimonArnoldme
relaunched www.zdnet.co.uk raises the bar yet again! its so fast it makes my eyes bleed.
1 day ago on Twitter by suziedaniels
Redesign complet pour ZDNet UK et AU, Twitter au centre http://www.zdnet.co.uk/ http://www.zdnet.com.au/
1 day ago on Twitter by eparody
RT @eparody: Redesign complet pour ZDNet UK et AU, Twitter au centre http://www.zdnet.co.uk/ http://www.zdnet.com.au/
1 day ago on Twitter by cdutheilFor multi-store outlets, including retail, banking, grocery, gas, hospitality, convenience stores and others, reducing (or avoiding) the cost of in-store system support and maintenance while maintaining compliance with PCI and other requirements has become a strategic challenge.
Speaker: Dr. Chenxi Wang, Principal Analyst, Security and Risk Management, Forrester Research, Inc. As Enterprises are increasingly connected to the Internet and as hard organizational boundaries are fast disappearing, security professionals are facing fresh challenges in Enterprise computing.
This tutorial is for new MindManager users and teaches you how to get started, by creating maps, reading maps and organizing your information.
Talkback
Do replace 'zealous' with 'common sense' if you wish to hope to make sense out of all the nonsence being spread.
17 Nov 05 22:48 Reply