Ex-Massachusetts CIO tells Europe to stay open

Open source zealot warns of 'lost heritage'

The former chief information officer of Massachusetts has warned European leaders that heritage could be lost unless openness was maintained.

Peter Quinn became well known for his advocacy of the Open Document Format (ODF), regarded by many as a significant threat to Microsoft’s dominance in document file formats. Sun and IBM also support ODF.

Quinn was visiting Brussels as a guest of OpenForum Europe, a group that supports open standards. He told the audience that proprietary formats could block access to web sites at times of emergency and stop the needy from using software.

“This kind of constraint is simply not helpful,” he explained.