Has anyone actually READ the European Commission’s Open Source Study?

Recently, the tech press and blogging community have been buzzing over a new European Commission report on the economic impact of Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) on the European information and communication technologies (ICT) sector. 

One thing, however, is notably missing from the online debate over the nearly 300 page report:

someone who has actually read it.

Open Source advocates have been quick to laud the report and proprietary advocates quick to trash it, but their comments reveal little evidence that they’ve actually spent any time reading it.

So, we at ACT are going to step into that void. 

After an initial read, it is clear the authors have done some important (and voluminous) research into the role of FLOSS in the European economy.  That said, there are also some significant holes in their research, questionable assumptions, and misguided recommendations – particularly in the realm of small and mid-size business (SME) policy. 

Over the next several weeks, we’ll be taking a closer look at the report at the ACT Blog to help the community better understand the findings and start a more intelligent discussion on what they mean.