Darl McBride, president and CEO of The SCO Group today addressed
government and business leaders at the United Kingdom’s annual
Commonwealth Business Forum.
Speaking on the growing trend of Open Source software use in
government, McBride presented ideas on how governments can
modernize their IT environments, while considering all of the
advantages and issues with using Open Source and proprietary
software.
According to the Initiative for Software Choice, there are
currently 66 government proposals, statements and studies promoting
Open Source software in 25 countries.
“Open Source has taken the information technology industry by
storm in recent years, especially in the areas of web servers,
e-mail, and Linux operating systems,” said McBride. “Governments
are increasingly considering Open Source software because of its
lower costs and its ability to work with existing
applications.”
The Commonwealth Business Forum is held to coincide with the
annual gathering of finance ministry representatives from more than
two dozen Commonwealth countries throughout the world. Commonwealth
countries and especially those from developing countries are
looking to Open Source software as an alternative to restrictive
and proprietary solutions on the market today.