steelneck: We have been in contact with the administration to ensure our speedy and adequate access to working tools of our choice. I'm also a patron of the European Parliament Free Software User Group. This has made a tangible impact on the ability for us to now use Firefox as one of our regular and standard working tools! I gave a particular address at FOSDEM this year about my work in that field, and my general observations on how the European Union deals with free software.
There have been accusations of bad management of the procurement procedures in the European Commission and DG DIGIT that were held in 2007, when the Microsoft contract was about to lapse. However, if I understand the reports from both FSFE and other entities, the problem is that no one is willing to challenge that procurement, which means that even if we believe it could very well be incompliant with the regulations for procurement of EU institutions, no one takes up the fight. So maybe your company will be willing to help FSFE out in finding someone to challenge DG DIGIT? I know they've been looking for a large number of years. :-)
I've been calling for those companies willing to challenge this to get in touch with FSFE for some time, but so far no success.
Correction: We do not have root control over our machines at the European Parliament and are not meant to have. I do not believe that the appropriate measures for me or my staff to undertake with respect to our work computers is to disrupt the security arrangements in the European Parliament intranet.
steelneck: We have been in contact with the administration to ensure our speedy and adequate access to working tools of our choice. I'm also a patron of the European Parliament Free Software User Group. This has made a tangible impact on the ability for us to now use Firefox as one of our regular and standard working tools! I gave a particular address at FOSDEM this year about my work in that field, and my general observations on how the European Union deals with free software.
There have been accusations of bad management of the procurement procedures in the European Commission and DG DIGIT that were held in 2007, when the Microsoft contract was about to lapse. However, if I understand the reports from both FSFE and other entities, the problem is that no one is willing to challenge that procurement, which means that even if we believe it could very well be incompliant with the regulations for procurement of EU institutions, no one takes up the fight. So maybe your company will be willing to help FSFE out in finding someone to challenge DG DIGIT? I know they've been looking for a large number of years. :-)
I've been calling for those companies willing to challenge this to get in touch with FSFE for some time, but so far no success.
Correction: We do not have root control over our machines at the European Parliament and are not meant to have. I do not believe that the appropriate measures for me or my staff to undertake with respect to our work computers is to disrupt the security arrangements in the European Parliament intranet.