Open Source Observatory (OSOR)

Software development hampered

05/10/2017

The renewed Copyright Directive as it is currently proposed is likely to have a negative impact on Free and Open Source Software and collaborative software development, as well as on developer…

Proven Value

04/10/2017

The municipalities of Casamicciola Terme, Forio and Lacco Almeno have been using the Erikus software application to take stock of the damage caused by the earthquake that occurred this summer on the…

Helsinki <3 developers

22/09/2017

The city of Helsinki in Finland is progressively making more of its data, APIs and software source code publicly available, in tandem with the city’s growing number of open source software developers.…

Germany 'a digital laggard'

21/09/2017

With their lacklustre approach to free software, German public services remain behind other European member states, says the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE). When asked, the current governing…

City of Rennes to tackle IT v…

21/09/2017

Rennes, France’s eleventh largest city, aims to get rid of IT vendor lock-in. To begin with, the city will switch to Zimbra, an open source-based collaboration and email solution. Next year, it will…

OECD examines open government…

04/09/2017

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is surveying the open government strategies in countries across the globe. The goal is to create a common approach to open government…

Open Source Jobs Report 2017:…

01/09/2017

Hiring managers are increasingly looking for open source professionals, and two thirds of them say that the numbers of these specialists they hire will increase more than other areas of their…

Bundestag elections: parties…

01/09/2017

Four of the five main political parties on the ballot for Germany’s parliamentary elections on 24 September favour the use of free and open source software for public services, according to the…

Trieste refurbishes PCs with…

01/09/2017

The city of Trieste (Italy) is donating depreciated PC workstations to schools, public services and non-profit organisations. The workstations will be refurbished solely with free and open source…

Estonia considering Ethereum-…

31/08/2017

Estonia is considering the issue of crypto-tokens , which would make it ( almost ) the first country to attract investment through an Initial Coin Offering ( ICO ). The scheme would let buyers of the…

France: VAT fraud rules allow…

31/08/2017

The French government has clarified its new rules on combatting VAT fraud to allow the continued use of free and open source software. In June, the Ministry of Public Action and Accounts confirms that…