The statement recognised the standards related to the Minimum Interoperability Standards for Information Systems (MIOS) in government.
According to the MIOS document, the standards set out government's technical principles and standards for achieving inter-operability and information systems coherence across the public sector.
The MIOS defines the essential pre-requisite for a joined-up and web-enabled government.
Next to security, it is an essential component in the overall e-Government strategy.
Speaking to BuaNews on Monday, spokesperson in the Ministry for Public Service and Administration Lewis Rabkin said: "The standards relate to the minimum standards for how government computers speak to each others.
"The Shuttleworth Foundation also congratulated government on its movement to Open Source Software (OSS)."
OSS is software for which users do not have to pay a propriety license in order to operate the software. To make use of other corporate's software, such as Microsoft, a company or an individual has to pay a propriety license fee. Many believe this fee to be hefty.
The foundation was established in 2001 with the aim of driving social innovation in the field of education believing that everyone has the right to knowledge, spurning the movement towards freely obtainable OSS.
In a statement the foundation said: "Commendably [the standards] include the adoption of the Open Document Format as the de jure standard for electronic documents used by government departments.
"The foundation believes that the implementation of this standard will greatly enhance interoperability and document management by the South African government," the foundation said.
As a standard ratified by the International Standards Organisation, the Open Document Format is dynamic and enjoys continuous development by a large and committed open online community.
Mandating the standard is a positive step in implementing government's policy for the adoption of open source technologies and offers a good example of how the policy is effectively implemented.
"We understand that the adoption of open standards is integral to government's commitment to making e-government open to citizens.
"We have every confidence in the relevant government departments, as well as the State Information Technology Agency, tasked with driving the new format adoption and dealing with the practicalities thereof," read the statement.
The ministry thanked the foundation for its support, adding that the standardisation on Open Document Format will enhance access to the services that government provides to the people of South Africa through the enhancement of e-Government services.
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Michael Appel
Quelle/Source: AllAfrica, 19.02.2008
