Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has signed an order mandating the Russian government and related agencies to move to using Linux and open-source software by 2015.
The
Russian government will transition its computer infrastructure from Microsoft
Windows to the Linux open-source operating by 2015, according to an order
signed by the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
According
to a Dec. 27 article in the
Russian-language
CNews, translated with Google Translate, the shift to Linux is set to begin
in the second quarter of 2012. The 17-page order, called a "transition
plan of the federal authorities and federal budgetary institutions on the use
of free software," outlines what government agencies have to do between
2011 and 2015 to comply.
The
order affects a wide range of agencies and other bodies directly controlled by
the federal government. It is up to the individual agency to determine
appropriate data formats that are supported by free software by the third
quarter of 2011, according to the paper.
The
transition order provides a timetable for the "complete transition of the
federal government and state employees" to free software, the deputy head
of the Ministry of Communications Ilya Massuh told CNews.
Open-source
software pilot programs are scheduled to begin in second quarter of 2012, and the
general rollout to government and fiscal institutions should be completed by
the third quarter of 2014, according to the order.
Open-source
software has been gaining a lot of traction with governments around the world
for a number of years, such as when agencies in the United
Kingdom and
Japan
decided to include the Linux desktop on their lists of approved software. In
the United States,
a recent IDC report found that various
federal government agencies were increasingly using
open-source
software stacks in the data center. The White House made waves when it
announced that the
White
House Website was developed using open-source content management system
Drupal.
The
state of
Massachusetts
revamped its systems to require that by 2007 all documents use open-formats
such as PDF or OpenDocument instead of proprietary ones, such Microsoft Office
document formats. The state also increased the use of Linux as well as free and
open-source software among state employees.
The
Russian order also lays the groundwork for a national repository for
open-source applications similar to Apple's App Store, which must be created by
the second quarter of 2012. This is not a repository for Linux distribution,
but for applications that can be used on free operating systems, said Massuh.
The creator of the repository will be selected "by a government decree"
or competitively, according to CNews.
The
movement to shift to open-source software in Russia
dates back to 2007 when the Ministry of Communications first started developing
the concept, and there have been other plans in the education sector, said
CNews. However, the Communications Minister, Leonid Reiman, resigned shortly
after the initial plan was published, and it has been languishing for the lack
of political support.
Putin's
support of the plan is akin to President Obama saying the federal government
will shift entirely to Linux.
In
2003, the Ministry of Communications and Computerization announced a
partnership with IBM to open a Linux
Competency Center
to promote the adoption of the open-source operating system in Russia.
The Center was intended to "create a Linux ecosystem" with IT
solutions based on Linux and open standards, according to a statement by the
ministry.
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