Open Source Push in the UK 'Could Save Taxpayer Millions'

The [UK] Government is investigating how open source software could be adopted to save tens of millions of pounds a year and make communication between departments easier.

The [UK] Government is investigating how open source software could be adopted to save tens of millions of pounds a year and make communication between departments easier.

Since 2010 government departments have spent £200m on Microsoft Office alone, claimed Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude in a speech yesterday. Switching to open source alternatives would break the “oligopoly” of IT providers, he said, outlining a set of standardised document formats for use across Whitehall.

The idea was to get the “right technology at the right price for taxpayers”. 

"I want to see a greater range of software used, so civil servants have access to the information they need and can get their work done without having to buy a particular brand of software,” he said...