Israel stops buying Microsoft software

slipondajimmy · 01-02-2004, 08:33 AM

Israel stops buying Microsoft software

The government said it doesn't need the entire Office suite of programs for every department.

The Associated Press
Posted December 31, 2003

JERUSALEM -- In an apparent showdown over price, Israel's government has suspended purchases of Microsoft productivity software and is encouraging the development of an open source alternative.

A spokeswoman for the Finance Ministry, which oversees government purchases, said Tuesday that government agencies would use existing Microsoft Office products for the time being rather than upgrade to newer versions.

The Israeli government also will encourage the development of lower-priced alternatives to Microsoft software to help expand computer use by the public.

To that end, the Finance Ministry has cooperated with Sun Microsystems and IBM in designing the Hebrew language version of OpenOffice software, a freely distributed open-source alternative to Microsoft Office.

"The move with Microsoft was a purely economic decision," said the Finance Ministry spokeswoman, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The Israeli government will not be purchasing new products from Microsoft, but will implement its contract to secure existing systems."

"On a policy level, the government is committed to expanding computer use. We want open-source technology to spread, so more people will be able to afford computers," she said.

The spokeswoman said the government was unhappy with Microsoft's refusal to sell individual programs from its standard Office package, which includes an e-mail client, spreadsheet and word-processing applications.

Microsoft representatives in Israel did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment. But in a statement Microsoft released through its American public-relations firm, the company said it "is always willing to discuss how we can help bring the value of Microsoft products and services to the benefit of consumers and businesses alike. We will continue to work closely with the government to explore how we can best meet their business needs."
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/the-break-room/16332-israel-stops-buying-microsoft-software.html

The Israeli move comes amid growing public sector interest in open source, or nonproprietary, software led by the Linux operating system.

Some federal agencies in France, China and Germany, as well as the city government of Munich, have opted to use Linux not just on servers but also on individual workstations.

Governments are a huge software market, accounting for about 10 percent of global information technology spending, according to research firm IDC

Lord · 01-02-2004, 11:29 AM

Heh, Microsoft needs to get more customers now

armstrong · 01-04-2004, 04:23 AM

Hooray for open source!

01-02-2004, 08:33 AM	THREAD STARTER #1 (permalink)
slipondajimmy Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 2,026	Israel stops buying Microsoft software Israel stops buying Microsoft software The government said it doesn't need the entire Office suite of programs for every department. The Associated Press Posted December 31, 2003 JERUSALEM -- In an apparent showdown over price, Israel's government has suspended purchases of Microsoft productivity software and is encouraging the development of an open source alternative. A spokeswoman for the Finance Ministry, which oversees government purchases, said Tuesday that government agencies would use existing Microsoft Office products for the time being rather than upgrade to newer versions. The Israeli government also will encourage the development of lower-priced alternatives to Microsoft software to help expand computer use by the public. To that end, the Finance Ministry has cooperated with Sun Microsystems and IBM in designing the Hebrew language version of OpenOffice software, a freely distributed open-source alternative to Microsoft Office. "The move with Microsoft was a purely economic decision," said the Finance Ministry spokeswoman, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The Israeli government will not be purchasing new products from Microsoft, but will implement its contract to secure existing systems." "On a policy level, the government is committed to expanding computer use. We want open-source technology to spread, so more people will be able to afford computers," she said. The spokeswoman said the government was unhappy with Microsoft's refusal to sell individual programs from its standard Office package, which includes an e-mail client, spreadsheet and word-processing applications. Microsoft representatives in Israel did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment. But in a statement Microsoft released through its American public-relations firm, the company said it "is always willing to discuss how we can help bring the value of Microsoft products and services to the benefit of consumers and businesses alike. We will continue to work closely with the government to explore how we can best meet their business needs." ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/the-break-room/16332-israel-stops-buying-microsoft-software.html The Israeli move comes amid growing public sector interest in open source, or nonproprietary, software led by the Linux operating system. Some federal agencies in France, China and Germany, as well as the city government of Munich, have opted to use Linux not just on servers but also on individual workstations. Governments are a huge software market, accounting for about 10 percent of global information technology spending, according to research firm IDC

01-04-2004, 04:23 AM	#3 (permalink)
armstrong Man from Manila Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Net Posts: 6,025	Hooray for open source! __________________ Apollo's excellent 3-letter .BIZ auction; $1 starting bid!

01-02-2004, 11:29 AM	#2 (permalink)
Lord Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 1,358	Heh, Microsoft needs to get more customers now

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