This primer is meant to serve as a resource for nations in the process of formulating their FOSS policies. This particular primer surveys the motivations of other countries in implementing FOSS, summarizes the steps involved in formulating a policy, lists some possible strategies to use in implementing the policy and finally touches on cross-sectoral issues unique to FOSS policies. Its target audience are the policy-makers who set national policies and their advisers.

FOSS: Government Policy Primer can be downloaded from the IOSN site at:

http://www.iosn.net/government/foss-government-primer/

The primer is intended to be a living document, constantly updated to reflect the latest information and available to all. It is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license and should always be available from the IOSN website.

This primer is part of a series of primers on Free/Open Source Software brought to you by IOSN. These are available online at http://www.iosn.net/foss-primers

About IOSN:

The International Open Source Network (IOSN - http://www.iosn.net) is a Centre of Excellence for Free / Open Source Software in the Asia-Pacific Region. IOSN is an initiative of the Asia-Pacific Information Development Programme (APDIP - http://www.apdip.net), which has been supporting the strategic and effective use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for poverty alleviation and sustainable human development in the Asia-Pacific region since 1997. IOSN is supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada. Via a small secretariat, the IOSN is tasked specifically to facilitate and network Free / Open Source Software advocates and human resources in the region.