Centennial Article: OSC slams government open source project

OSC slams government open source project

Becta, the government's IT advisor, has been criticised by the Open Source Consortium (OSC), it has been reported.

Describing the move away from proprietary software as a "sham, the OSC has slammed Becta's proposal to create an open source community in UK schools after the £270,000 contract was awarded to AlphaPlus Consultancy, reports IT Pro.

Mark Taylor, OSC president, has revealed that AlphaPlus has no experience in the open source field and does not have strong links to the rest of the community.

In an open letter, Mr Taylor said "Becta's friends are now responsible for the direction Open Source takes in British Schools, entirely removed from the UK Open Source community and industry", according to the news provider.

He also revealed some of the UK's top open source groups, such as Canonical, Schoolforge UK and Sirius, had pitched for the contract but were unsuccessful.

The letter called for schools to contact groups that specialise in open source rather than follow Becta's advice.

However, Becta said AlphaPlus came out as the overall winner in the selection process, but suggested other members of the open source community would be asked for their input into the project.

The OSC has more than 80 members in the UK and works to set professional standards in the sector.

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