A group of Open Source companies is preparing to lobby the Austrian government to become more active in using Open Source software and using open standards such as the ISO-document standard Open Document Format ODF.
Some twenty Austrian IT companies and individual developers specialising in Open Source software on the 18th of April officially began Open Source Austria.
According to its chairman, Peter Prohaska, the pressure group will try to educate Austrian politicians on the benefits of Open Source software. "We want them to consider using Open Source and open standards in every IT project undertaken by public authorities and institutions."
Next to political work, the group hopes to stimulate Austrian small and medium-sized enterprises to use Open Source and open standards. "Open Austria will provide them with links to companies offering Open Source services, for example in using this type of software for their Enterprise resource planning and content and document management."
One of the first activities of the newly formed lobby group, is to provide politicians and local companies with information explaining the legal basis and other legal issues such as warranties of Open Source applications. The group is being assisted by the influential Vienna Chamber of Commerce, Prohaska says. "Together we are working on an information leaflet, and they will be training legal advisers to assist companies with their questions on Open Source."
The chamber of commerce is also conducting tests in the use of ODF.
Prohaska says there is a general lack of understanding about Open Source. "Not enough people realise the value of GNU/Linux. We will target schools, companies and our politicians. We will develop the Open Source market in Austria." He estimates that of the about a hundred companies and individuals offering Open Source IT services, only about ten to fifteen are making a healthy profit. "The others get by, but do not really see a growth in turnover."
The group hopes to soon open a contact office in the capital Vienna, where it will demonstrate the use of Open Source applications. "This should become a one stop shop to inform companies, public institutions and citizens what Open Source software can do for them."
Day care Linux
The Vienna city government meanwhile seems to experience some minor problems with their use of GNU/Linux distribution Debian as a desktop alternative.
According to a press spokesperson at city hall, the Debian installations at desktop PCs in use by the Vienna city child care centres is having problems handling USB devices and computer games. "They're also meant to be used by kids, so they should be able to run at least some games."
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