What is the advantage of using free-of-charge software in state institutions?

Communications Minister Valerian Vreme, appointed in this position at the beginning of the month, says he is considering devising a strategy to introduce free-of-charge open-source software, which would see a decline in contracts between the state and software producers, but would mean cost savings for the government.

"We will work on a strategy that will consider using open-source software. There are European countries, such as France and Germany, which use such software extensively," Vreme told a press conference.

Vreme (47), who worked for over ten years in IT in the private sector, says first interoperability rules will be set, in order for an institution that uses open-source software to be able to communicate with one that is not using such software. Open-source software, such as the OpenOffice suite, the Linux operating system, and the Firefox browser, is free-of-charge, and can be an alternative to Microsoft's Windows and Office, produced by the world's biggest software company. Office 2010 for instance, Microsoft's latest suite of applications, costs between 110 and 578 euros.