Wednesday, June 11, 2008

EU pushes open-source standard as 'smart business'

The EU's top antitrust official called Tuesday on member governments to use open-source software, an apparent jab at Microsoft Corp.'s proprietary technology.

"No citizen or company should be forced or encouraged to choose a closed technology over an open one, through a government having made that choice first," European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said at a conference organized by OpenForum Europe, a nonprofit group that advocates open standards.

Choosing technology formats that can be used by different vendors — often without paying a fee — is "a very smart business decision," Kroes said.

She said the European Commission would do its part when it picks software standards for its own use, saying "it must not rely on one vendor, it must not accept closed standards and it must refuse to become locked into a particular technology."

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