Although open-source platforms are widely used today in the federal government -- particularly Linux and Sun's own products, Solaris and Java -- McNealy believes many government officials don't understand it, fear it and even oppose it for ideological reasons.

McNealy cited an open-source development project Sun worked on with Health and Human Services Department, during which a federal official said "that open source was anti-capitalist." That sentiment, McNealy fears, is not unusual or isolated.

"If you think about it, proprietary software is the software equivalent of a planned economy led by a dictators, whereas open source is all about choice, the market economy and multiple competitive players," said McNealy.

That's the message McNealy and Bill Vass, the president and chief operating officer of Sun's federal division, are now delivering. They have already met with Obama Administration officials to offer a paper on open source that has since grown into a discussion about the merits of having a federal CIO. The new administration , but not a CIO.

"There is not a corporation, a Fortune 1000 company, around that doesn't have a CIO," said McNealy. "Yet, the federal government dwarfs all those organizations and they really have an empowered, cabinet kind of position."