“Quebec’s open-source software association is suing the provincial government, saying it is giving preferential treatment to Microsoft Corp. by buying the company’s products rather than using free alternatives.”
The problem is the Quebec goverment doesn’t “call for bidders” when the time come to buy microsoft software. They just buy, regardless if there’s a better and/or cheaper solution. Somehow they get their fix of software.
Well I guess that many, many public administration are doing that all around the world. Think your public school board, your city or commune. Do they choose their software or is it software that is choosing them ?
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/08/27/tech-quebec.html
FACIL the organization behind the suit
Comments 2
If only some the same thing could be done to Vietnam.
Posted 29 Aug 2008 at 8:10 am ¶It is possible to do that in the particular province of Quebec, since it is in the law that government should go to public bidding for any important purchase.
Posted 30 Aug 2008 at 10:48 pm ¶The Vietnamese law has also a similar process, where any IT spending should be approved at the end after a government goes on the market to make the purchase.
However, spending in the public administration in Viet nam is very decentralized and there’s no agency specialized in providing guidance and consulting to make IT purchase, Post and Telecom and to lesser extent the Ministry of science and technology have the responsibility to do that. However since Post and Telecom have themselves enterprises that also bid in public tenders in IT sector, that puts them in a very awkward position.
Lastly, class action exist in the Vietnamese law so it is possible for a group of citizen to regroup and sue a company or even the government for a particular cause.
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