[ossig] Amsterdam tests open source software

[Ditesh Kumar]

From
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/12/28/HNamsterdam_1.html
Amsterdam tests open source software
City authorities anticipate reducing reliance on Microsoft software

By Peter Sayer, IDG News Service

December 28, 2006 

Microsoft Corp. has two years in which to convince Amsterdam city
authorities that it can offer better value for money on the desktop than
open source alternatives.

The city will conduct tests of open source software on desktops in two
departments in the first half of 2007, it said Friday.

It doesn't intend to phase out the use of proprietary software
completely, but expects the tests to lead to a reduction in the scope of
its contract with Microsoft, its current desktop software supplier, the
city said. That contract expires at the end of 2008, according to a
statement from the city.

Two departments, the city's housing service, and the local authority for
the borough of Zeeburg, will test the Linux operating system on desktop
PCs, city authority spokeswoman Marjolijn van Goethem said Thursday.

A study conducted for the city council earlier this year showed that the
use of open software ensures better exchange and storage of digital
information, the city's statement said.

Amsterdam is not alone in considering the switch from proprietary to
open source desktops: The German city of Munich is in the process of
migrating desktop PCs to the Linux operating system.

Other local and national administrations around Europe have cited
safeguarding access to their own data as a reason for preferring
software based on open source and open standards over proprietary
applications. The Belgian government voted earlier this year to adopt
the Open Document Format (ODF) popularized by the open-source desktop
productivity suite OpenOffice.org for document storage and exchange,
while authorities in France and Denmark are also evaluating the benefits
of ODF.