[A2k] France: candidates who encourage authorities to use open source and the others?

[Manon Ress]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Check all  the answers here:  www.candidats.fr.

And the latest:

FR: Candidate Bayrou: encourage authorities to use open source
http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/en/document/6860/469

Open Source News - 16 April 2007 - France - General

State and local administrations should embrace open standards and use
Open Source software, says French presidential candidate Fran=E7ois
Bayrou of the Union for French Democracy. Open Source software and
open standards both "bring a high degree of independence."

Bayrou thinks that administrations should not be forced to pay
repeatedly for the same software functionality. "We should pay the
right price, but only once."

He also says public authorities should be able to use software that
is neither open nor adheres to open standards "if this application
fits other software requirements much better." A set of software
references set up by the French government, (R=E9f=E9rentiel G=E9n=E9ral
d'Interop=E9rabilit=E9) should help establish such criteria.

His position on Open Source, open standards and software patents was
published last Friday by April, an association aiming to increase
political interests in these issues. The association in February
posted a list of questions to the candidates on a special website,
www.candidats.fr.

Seven out of the twelve candidates for the French Presidency
responded to April's questions to date. The day before Bayrou's, one
of his main competitors, Royal S=E9gol=E8ne, sent in her position paper,
calling Open Source software vital for public IT.

"Publicly financed IT should in general be free. That means these
applications should use formats that are really open, without
limitation for developers or users. This is essential to ensure the
preservation of the data of public administrations, communities and
services and to preserve free competition on the software market.

The third main candidate, Nicolas Sarkozy, of the Union for a Popular
Movement, has so far not responded.

************************************************************************
***
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@keionline.org,
www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology
1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Ext 16 Fax: +1.202.332.2673

Consumer Project on Technology
1 Route des  Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 6727

Consumer Project on Technology
24 Highbury Crescent, London, N5 1RX, UK
Tel: +44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252 Fax: +44(0)207 354 0607