01279nas a2200121   4500008004100000022001400041245010000055210006900155260004200224520083100266100002401097856003601121       2008                        eng d  a1913-610200aFree and Open Source Software: Overview and Preliminary Guidelines for the Government of Canada0 aFree and Open Source Software Overview and Preliminary Guideline  aOttawabTalent First Networkc03/20083 aAfter a slow beginning in the late 1990s, Free/Libre and Open Source Software (F/LOSS) has been constantly growing in importance and expanding in many software architectures all over the world. This impressive growth has been supported by the numerous successes, the high-quality reputation of F/LOSS-based systems and, of course, by the expectation of cost savings.

In 2003, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) initiated a special study to determine the role of F/LOSS in our information system architectures. This study was later expanded to the whole Government of Canada (GoC). This article summarizes some key findings based on the original DRDC report published in 2004. It includes a general introduction to F/LOSS followed by some guidelines in assessing the usefulness of F/LOSS in GoC project contexts.1 aCharpentier, Robert  uhttp://timreview.ca/article/127