LTPrograminės įrangos kūrimo ir platinimo problemos tampa vis aktualesnės besikuriančiai globaliai informacinei visuomenei. Vis labiau minima atviroji programinė įranga, atvirosios programos. Pasaulyje jų kasmet sukuriama vis daugiau. Iš kadaise sukurtos operacinės sistemos "Linux" išaugo visa grupė atmainų ir specializuotų programų. Šiandien beveik kiekvienai komercinei programai atsiranda alternatyvi atviroji programa. Pasaulyje pripažįstamas atvirasis raštinės paketas "OpenOffice.org", sparčiai naudojamasi naršykle "Mozilla", daugėja jos atmainų. Kuriamos atvirosios mokomosios programos. Tokia pasaulinė realybė. O kaip Lietuvoje? Straipsnio tikslas - įvertinti atvirųjų programų padėtį Lietuvos bendrojo ugdymo sistemoje. Remiamasi duomenimis, gautais atlikus tyrimą "Atvirasis kodas švietime" (Švietimo ir mokslo ministerijos užsakymas).
ENPreparing to live in the information society, the increasing use of information technologies in various spheres of life and the development of the knowledge society necessitates more attention to the tools which turn the computer into a tool for learning, such as software and computer applications. The problem of the use of illegal software and piracy is experienced to a varying degree by all countries in the world. States try to find different solutions to the problem according to their financial capabilities, cultural and intellectual awareness of people, traditions and methods of dissemination of information. The use of open source software is one of the most straightforward and effective methods to combat the use of illegal software. The production of open source computer programs is growing up in the world. The open source educational programs are being also produced. The situation concerning the use of source programs in Lithuania is analysed in the paper. The overview of the literature on this topic is made here. The survey of schools regarding open source software was based on the research study "Open source in education": http://www.ipc.lt/21z/duomenys/tyrimai/atviras%20kodas/ataskaita.pdf. The methodology and results of the sample survey of the schools in Lithuania on the use of the open source programs is presented.[abstract from author.