State Sanctioned Microsoft Tax

News today that the UK government have struck a deal to save lots of money on licences for Microsoft software... good for them! What I want to know, is what the hell are they buying, and why are they not getting better value for money by utilising free and/or open source (FOS) software?

In my experience, a lot of FOS stuff is of equal or better quality than the Microsoft equivilent, so as a tax payer I feel that the Government is yet again squandering our money.

Don't get me started on the amount of money pumped into failing government computer projects... EDS must love this stuff... they take the money, deliver something that's "not fit for purpose", and then get away with it!

Want to make government computer projects a success? Well, start by not giving the fucking contracts to the same people who have a track record of screwing things up!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/14/uk_bulk_purchase_ms_licences/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4717400.stm
http://www.techworld.com/opsys/news/index.cfm?NewsID=2695
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/11/08/government_cocks_up_another_computer/
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/applications/0,39020384,39164600,00.htm
http://www.privacyinternational.org/issues/outsourcing/eds.html