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Open Source Policies in San Francisco and California Take Different Paths

February 5, 2010 By Matt Williams

Photo: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

As state and local governments know too well, choosing open source software is kind of like being Lewis and Clark: There are a lot of unknowns, and policies for governing the open source "wilderness" aren't well defined -- if at all.

This is finally starting to change, thanks in part to leadership from San Francisco and the California state CIO's office, two of the first governments to adopt formal policies for the usage of open source software within state and local agencies.

The content of their policies are similar, but San Francisco's goes a step further than the state. Adopted Jan. 21, San Francisco's policy mandates that city agencies always consider open source options when buying new software. By contrast, the open source policy letter issued in January by California's Office of the State Chief Information Officer set a definition of open source software and designated it an "acceptable practice" -- bringing its usage by the state "out of the shadows," in the words of Chief Deputy CIO Adrian Farley.

The different approaches suggest there is still a long way to go until a commonly accepted best practice emerges for open source software in government.

"The state has stepped up. San Francisco has stepped up. We're looking to the federal government for a lot of the guidance," said Brian Purchia, deputy communications director and technology adviser for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "But this is just the beginning. The potential is there for millions of dollars [saved] in software licensing costs. That's the reality."

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