A coalition of over 60 European Open Source service providers have united to form the Open Source Consortium, (OSC) an independent reference point to give an unbiased “proprietary-vendor free” voice for all organisations deploying or contemplating the Open Source alternative. The consortium which is borne out of a fusion between the Open Source movement and prime-mover demand from areas such as the Public Sector, aims to bring impartial clarity to the debate.
Speakers at the launch event at the NCC included Mark Taylor, OSC Executive Director; John H. Terpstra, Co-Founder of the Samba Team and Founder of the Open Standards Alliance; Bob Griffith, International Secretary SOCTIM and Graham Taylor, Programme Director, OpenForum Europe Commenting on the launch OSC Executive Director, Mark Taylor said, “The Open Source Movement is fast achieving definition as it evolves from the nascent fervor of its protagonists into a credible corporate alternative. That definition requires an independent voice.
“We are minded to question, then, whether proprietary vendors can be entrusted with the future of Open Source deployment across Europe. With this in mind we aim to liaise with the UK and EU authorities on establishing clear guidelines to safeguard the ascendance of this exciting new alternative.”
