Jon ”maddog” Hall is the Executive Director of Linux International (www.li.org), a non-profit association of computer vendors who wish to support and promote the Linux Operating System. During his career which spans over thirty years, Mr. Hall has been a programmer, systems designer, systems administrator, produc t manager, technical marketing manager and educator. He has worked for such companies as Western Electric Corporation, Aetna Life and Casualty, Bell Laboratories, Digital Equipment Corporation and Compaq. He has taught at Hartford State Technical College, Merrimack College and Daniel Webster College. Mr. Hall is the author of numerous magazine and newspaper articles, many presentations and one book, ”Linux for Dummies”. Mr. Hall serves on the boards of several companies, and several non-profit organizations, including the USENIX Association. Mr. Hall has traveled the world speaking on the benefits of Open Source Software, and received his BS in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University, and his MSCS from RPI in Troy, New York.

While programmers and systems administrators have recognized Linux and Open Source for its benefits, it has been only recently that most legislators and governments have been moving towards free software. From a legislator’s view, and from a government’s view, what are the
reasons that go behind these actions? These reasons will be taken directly from presentations, studies and actions from various governments

around the world.