• Free Software which the government is free to use, examine source code, modify source code and to distribute changes including source code

• Non-Free Software which may have a no-cost licence but which does not allow copying, examination of source code or distribution.

Free and Non-Free Software have different technological risks, levels of reliability and flexibility. The Government should respect these differences to make the best use of information technology.

Linux-based and Unix-based apps are becoming commonplace in the enterprise, but some sectors are still holding out. IDC and Info-Tech explain why our financial institutions are reluctant to take the plunge. Also: a consultant tells us where they could be missing out

Read the full thing at http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=44233

Open source has always been the underdog on the software scene, but it continues to draw intense interest from users and vendors alike in North America. Users want to avoid vendor lock-in and are attracted to potential cost savings. And vendors and value-added resellers see opportunities for innovation in the software market

Read the full thing at http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=42726

In recent years, software giants like Microsoft have found open source software like Linux and Firefox nipping at their heels.

... Now, the University of Regina has joined the fray, launching its first senior-level course in open source software development.

Read the full thing at http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2007/01/02/open-source.html

The University of Ottawa professor uses an international conference to offer his critique of the public sector's approach to intellectual property, including its use of open source software.

Read the full thing at http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=41225

I thought I'd provide a update on CAISI, our open source (OSCAR-based) software.

Our development team is working on the integrator so agencies and hospitals can update shared databases on behalf of the homeless, in real-time if possible, and improve overall care and re-integration into society.

Read the full thing at http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=40487

It is nearly common knowledge that GIS finds its origins in government agencies in that great northern territory we know as Canada. I say "nearly” because there are still those who believe that GIS was created by proprietary software vendors ... which I’ll bet makes the marketing guys at these companies more than happy with themselves.

Read the full thing at http://www.directionsmag.com/article.php?article_id=2194&trv=1

Free and open source software (FOSS) is not a major issue in the Canadian election scheduled for January 23. None of the major political parties -- the Liberals, Conservatives, New Democratic Party (NDP), or Bloc Québécois -- has taken a position on FOSS. The up and coming Green Party is rumored to be announcing a FOSS platform shortly, but even that may be only be token support, considering that the Green Party Web site includes downloads of current policy in Microsoft Word format. The only candidate for a major party who is openly advocating FOSS is Mathieu Allard, the young NDP candidate for the Francophone riding of Saint Boniface in Manitoba. Recently, I talked to him about his advocacy and the role that FOSS plays in his campaign.

Read the full thing here

It may be excluded from Monday night’s national leadership debates, but the Green Party of Canada is about to release a more detailed platform that will reiterate its support for open source software adoption in the public sector.

The party will include its stance on open source software in a section called “technology and culture” that will be among several mini-platforms it will publish within the next two weeks, a spokesman said. In its platform for the 2004 election, the Green Party set itself apart by promising that, if elected, it would require federal agencies to initiate transitions to open source operating systems and productivity software. It also said it would make technology that has been developed at public expense a publicly owned resource.

Read the full thing here