There is general consensus in both government and businesses that “Openness” is both pivotal and a positive. Few would seek voluntarily to be labeled ‘closed’ and inevitably ‘open’ can be tagged to a product or service by many companies seeking a little ‘magic dust’ in support of its marketing. But maybe with little attempt to … Read more
For the second time in just three months, the European Parliament has called on the European Commission to to increase the share of free and open source software. On 19 January, in a so-called own-initiative report, the EP also urged the EC to use this type of software to promote reuse in and between public … Read more
The French Parliament wants to make it mandatory for the country’s public administrations to make public the source code of its custom-built software solutions. An amendment to France’s upcoming law for the Digital Republic was adopted by France’s lower house on Wednesday. The amendment by the National Assembly’s Law Committee makes source code of software … Read more
The French draft law Loi Numérique will be presented to the French Parliament on 19 January, after being co-created with citizens through an online public consultation. This is the first law in France resulting from a co-design process. This draft law is aimed at structuring the new French digital economy and includes new digital principles … Read more
Officially adopted on 25 November 2015 by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, ISA2 programme will begin on January 2016 and last until 31 December 2020 as a continuation of ISA. ISA programme, which ran from 2010 to 2015, was meant for the modernisation of the EU public sector. The proposal established a programme on interoperability … Read more
Plans to transition schools to Ubuntu and Debian Linux Grenoble, France’s 16th largest city, is committed to the use of free software. This type of ICT solutions facilitaties the sharing of knowledge, empowers citizens and institutions and helps to cut costs, the city said in a statement. The city also sees free software as one … Read more
Government emphasises open standards and urges use of liberating alternatives Sweden’s public administrations should use open IT standards and software “that frees the state administration from dependence on single technical solutions”, the government writes in its note on ICT, part of its 2016 budget plan. “For eGovernment solutions, IT standards will play an increasing role … Read more
The French administration is still a large enabler of Free Software in France. According to a survey published by Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC , CXP group), a French consulting company, the public sector is seen as an opportunity for Free Software for 71% of the more than 100 companies surveyed in this study, mostly members … Read more
Both types of data can transform the world, but when government turns big data into open data it’s especially powerful Big data and the new phenomenon open data are closely related but they’re not the same. Open data brings a perspective that can make big data more useful, more democratic, and less threatening. While big … Read more
The final text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was released earlier this month. The gigantic agreement contains sweeping provisions regarding environmental regulation, pharmaceutical procurement, intellectual property, labor standards, food safety, and many other things. If adopted, it would be the most sweeping expansion of international restrictions on copyright in over two decades. Over the last five years, the TPP … Read more
