Israeli Government Is Open Sourcing Its Software Code

Just yesterday, we told you about German government’s decision to go ahead with an open source solution for creating its private cloud. The government announced a partnership with Nextcloud, which is a popular open source solutions provider.

In another encouraging development for the open source enthusiasts, the Israeli government has decided to open source its software code. As a result, the released code will be available to public and free to reuse.

This decision follows a resolution passed by the cabinet in October 2014, according to Haaretz. While the resolution is currently only making the government’s gov.il website open source, the other agencies are being encouraged to follow the footsteps.

It’s worth noting that open sourcing the code makes sure that all the taxpayers are able to access the software and even use it in their personal projects. Moreover, it also enhances the security as researchers are able to perform vulnerability checks with ease.

As per the report, open source consultant Lior Kaplan has expressed a valid concern: many countries across the world have policies to promote open source, but they’re never fully implemented.

Also, in some cases like Munich, authorities even ditch an ongoing project without any technical reason. It’s pretty evident that the governments must be informed about the benefits of open source and how they can save money and resources by ditching proprietary software.

Have something to add to this story? Share your views with us and keep reading Fossbytes.

Also Read: Microsoft Open Sources 27-Year-Old ‘File Manager’ — Run It On Windows 10