Stakeholder groups
-
newcomers
- Perhaps you have already heard about open source software and
you can't quite believe that it offers a way to use software for
free. Perhaps you have simply no idea what it is and you want to find
out more. Whatever your motivations, it's always a good time to
start learning about free and open source software.
-
academic end-users
- The profile of open source software has now reached a point where
it is no longer exclusively in the domain of IT experts and service
providers. The recent success of Firefox, the open source web
browser from the Mozilla Foundation, has brought open source software
to the attention of many people who had formerly been unaware that
there was an alternative to proprietary software.
-
software developers
- The open source software development community must surely be one of the most
attractive environments in which to develop software. Software
development is nearly always about collective working which
tends to result in a community. Nowhere is the developer a bigger
part of such a community than in the open source world.
-
IT managers and technical staff
- Experience and awareness of open source software varies widely
across managers and technical staff within the UK academic
sector. Whilst government policy and advice on institutional policy
matters are clearly important, practical matters are paramount.
-
strategic IT
decision-makers
- Consideration of open source software within an institutional IT
policy is a key factor in ensuring best value for money in IT
procurement. It also matches up with UK government policy covering
publicly funded bodies such as the NHS and the education sector. Open source software needs consideration
also in intellectual property rights policies, employment contracts
and more.
It is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 England & Wales licence.
OSS Watch is funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee.