Single-vendor software purchase stopped in Italy

The Associazione per il Software Libero has sent out a press release proclaiming a "historic victory" in its battle to ensure that free software alternatives are considered in Italian government purchases. A request for tenders for €4.5 million in Microsoft licenses has been withdrawn after the Associazione went to court with a challenge. "The most important result is that Associazione per il Software Libero succeeded in monitoring actions of public institutions in a domain -information technologies - that too often responds to pressures of some companies and to mere 'technical' reasons instead of focusing on public benefit: free access to information (free format), adoption of trustworthy technologies (free software) and use of public money for the benefit of the citizens."

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