Campaign to promote adoption of open source software
16 - 09 - 2003

The Government welcomes the widening of product choice brought by open source software and would adopt such software as much as possible, the Director of Information Technology Services, Mr. Alan Wong Chi-kong, said today (September 16).

Mr. Wong was speaking at the launch of the "Linux Business Adoption Campaign", which aims to encourage the use of open source software in Hong Kong.

Jointly organised by the Information Technology Services Department, the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the Hong Kong Linux Industry Association, the campaign will deliver a range of activities from September to December, including seminars and a Linux Business Adoption Award.

Mr Wong said that the campaign aimed to provide information and tips on best practices in deploying applications on open source platforms.

"The Government has no preference for particular brands or technologies," Mr. Wong stressed, "in selecting software, criteria such as functions, security, system compatibility, technical support and cost-effectiveness would be taken into consideration."

"We actively promote the adoption of open source technology among government departments and the private sector. In compliance with the government procurement regulations, vendors are encouraged to introduce their products to the departments," he added.

To provide support to SMEs in adopting open source software, $890,000 was provided by the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Development Fund to establish a Linux Resource Centre in July 2003.

Concurrently, the IT Easy Link has extended its service to provide a free hotline and face-to-face consultations for SMEs that encounter problems in adopting information technology applications, including the use of open source software.

The service was first launched in June last year by the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau, the Information Technology Services Department and the Hong Kong Computer Society.

"I hope that this Linux Business Adoption Campaign will encourage the adoption of innovative information technology and provide a wider choice of software for the Government, enterprises and in particular SMEs," Mr. Wong said.

For more information on the campaign, please visit the following website: www.digihall21.org/linuxaward2003

- END -