[Upd-discuss] Paris city authority declares war on software 'monopolies'

[Zapopan Martin Muela-Meza]

http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=2420&email
14 October 2004
Paris city authority declares war on software
'monopolies'
But rules out immediate switch to open source

By Peter Sayer, IDG news service

Click here to find out more!

The city of Paris is looking to reduce its
dependence on software suppliers with "de facto
monopolies," but considers an immediate switch of
its 17,000 desktops to open source software too
costly.

Elected officials met on Tuesday to receive and
discuss a report on the economics of migrating to
open source software, commissioned from IT
consulting company Unilog.

One scenario presented in the report, a total and
immediate switch to open source, was ruled out as
being inappropriate given the aging state of many
of the city's computers. In addition, the high
cost of such a move would produce no improvement
in service. Officials instead accepted the
report's recommendation of a gradual opening of
the city's IT systems to alternative suppliers.

They decided the city should be prepared to take
control of its own software development, and
should reduce its dependence on individual IT
suppliers, said the deputy mayor responsible for
administration, Francois Dagnaud.

The city plans to equip more of its staff with
computers, and to modernise and standardise its
systems, many of which were identified in a 2001
audit as being already obsolete. Interoperability
and compatibility between open-source and
proprietary systems will weigh heavily in the
choices the city makes, the statement said.

The decisions reaffirm a strategy set in 2001 of
making the city authority's IT systems less
dependent on suppliers with de facto monopolies,
the statement said. Although Dagnaud did not name
any monopolistic suppliers in the statement,
Microsoft is clearly feeling targeted, firing off
a swift response to journalists accompanied by an
English translation of the statement.

"While Microsoft cannot comment on the ongoing
discussions with the government, Microsoft
continues to work closely with the administration
of the city of Paris to explore ways that they
can take benefit of Microsoft's flexible
licensing framework for public sector," said a
company spokesman.

The city budgeted €160 million (US$197 million)
to spend on its computer systems between 2004 and
2007, and officials are still committed to that
plan. However, with falling tax receipts and
increasing demand on services from its
inhabitants, the city is under pressure to
justify every cent it spends. Dagnaud said that
by diversifying its IT suppliers, the city hoped
to get the best service for the best price. 


=====
Vorwärts!

Zapopan Martín Muela Meza
PhD student Information Studies
Department of Information Studies
University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
http://www.shef.ac.uk/is/research/phd.html
http://www.geocities.com/zapopanmuela/index.html


		
_______________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Declare Yourself - Register online to vote today!
http://vote.yahoo.com