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Governments should adopt and invest in FOSS

jamesmcm.github.io

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Re: Governments should adopt and invest in FOSS

#91

Post by slg »

Supermancho wrote: post #59
slg wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does this apply to militaries and intelligence agencies? I can understand wanting a lot of government software to be FOSS, but maybe the software on spy satellites shouldn't be available to everyone.

> maybe the software on spy satellites shouldn't be available to everyone. I would agree if I felt it made security stronger. I don't feel that way, given I know now that satellite is likely running windows. OSS serving as a basis, not the end-implementation of a system is how it would work in practice. Just like it does now with contracted vendors.

It isn't just about security, it is about information gathering. If you give someone all the software used on and to communicate with your spy satellites, it reveals the capabilities of those satellites.

Re: Governments should adopt and invest in FOSS

#93

Post by Aunche »

majkinetor wrote: post #11

Since its taxpayers money, any custom made software for gov MUST be FOSS or we can equally abandon any logic whatsoever - citizens payed for it, gov employees were working with implementation team on shaping it, so it belongs to them. This doesn't have to be so for supportive domains such as databases but I would personally prefer that also (i.e. Postgresql instead Oracle db). There are many more reasons for this the…

>Since its taxpayers money, any custom made software for gov MUST be FOSS

I don't follow this logic. I can't think of any case where I view the source code of software that I paid for.

Re: Governments should adopt and invest in FOSS

#94

Post by bo1024 »

Aunche wrote: post #93
majkinetor wrote: post #11

Since its taxpayers money, any custom made software for gov MUST be FOSS or we can equally abandon any logic whatsoever - citizens payed for it, gov employees were working with implementation team on shaping it, so it belongs to them. This doesn't have to be so for supportive domains such as databases but I would personally prefer that also (i.e. Postgresql instead Oracle db). There are many more reasons for this the…

>Since its taxpayers money, any custom made software for gov MUST be FOSS I don't follow this logic. I can't think of any case where I view the source code of software that I paid for.

That you paid for a copy of, or that you paid for being developed in the first place?

Re: Governments should adopt and invest in FOSS

#95

Post by jasonjayr »

pc86 wrote: post #68
majkinetor wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bulgaria seems to have it: https://thepolicy.us/bulgaria-got-a-law-requiring-open-sourc...

When's the last time Bulgaria developed spy satellite or fighter jet software?

The spy satellite or fighter jet software doesn't have to be on Github, but it also doesn't have to be locked up in the vaults @ Boeing or Northrup Grumman, and only accessed or improved at a huge fee by a rent-seeking corporation, who will discharge developers who are experts, and for another obnoxious fee only offer to retrain them, if they happen to still have access to the source code that might have been lost in that fire years ago.

Re: Governments should adopt and invest in FOSS

#96

Post by dragonwriter »

majkinetor wrote: post #11

Since its taxpayers money, any custom made software for gov MUST be FOSS or we can equally abandon any logic whatsoever - citizens payed for it, gov employees were working with implementation team on shaping it, so it belongs to them. This doesn't have to be so for supportive domains such as databases but I would personally prefer that also (i.e. Postgresql instead Oracle db). There are many more reasons for this the…

> Since its taxpayers money, any custom made software for gov MUST be FOSS or we can equally abandon any logic whatsoever

For the federal government, it would make more sense for it to be public domain (not subject to copyright), the same as federal works generally.

State government works are generally.copyright by the state just as if the state were a private actor, with no particular mandated licensing scheme, so arguably the same ought to be true of software.

OTOH, for software used in automating state administration, the source code is arguably a form of documentation of process that ought to be disclosable under sunshine laws even if the software isn't licensed in a way that allows use other than informational reference.

Re: Governments should adopt and invest in FOSS

#98

Post by verisimilidude »

dzhiurgis wrote: post #72
majkinetor wrote: post #11

Since its taxpayers money, any custom made software for gov MUST be FOSS or we can equally abandon any logic whatsoever - citizens payed for it, gov employees were working with implementation team on shaping it, so it belongs to them. This doesn't have to be so for supportive domains such as databases but I would personally prefer that also (i.e. Postgresql instead Oracle db). There are many more reasons for this the…

I agree, just don't make it into something stupid like GPL. Also just because you've released the source after it doesn't make more secure, valuable or whatever. It should be developed in public to begin with.

In one instance, I literally watched a government organization buy its own open source software from a vendor that added a few bells and whistles and turned it into a proprietary product. GPL is a pretty good defense against this kind of scenario. You need these kinds of checks against the transient nature of political appointees, etc.

Re: Governments should adopt and invest in FOSS

#99

Post by 2Gkashmiri »

I have a question here. How do you combat lobbying when you have the likes of Microsoft so deeply entrenched in a government, the likes of Germany and Limux and the whole deal there. Same in India. The government has set aside a proper budget to spending towards buying Microsoft products for office use when 10% of that sum could build world class software but lobbying. I once pitched libreoffice to a head of a India government department and I was told in as many words "the central government gives us a proper budget for this. If we don't spend it, it will lapse. Let it be. "

Next, I use some taxation software provided by central government but its all excel based. Why cant they essentially switch to the likes of using Foss software because the chain effect of the cunsumers of these software have to stick to excel. On and on. If anyone can help pass the message, let me know

Re: Governments should adopt and invest in FOSS

#100

Post by ocdtrekkie »

pabs3 wrote: post #88
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The major reason that proprietary software is so prominent in gov is corruption. I'd like to see more open source software in government, but the main reason we select proprietary solutions where I work is support. If more open source tools had support staff, maintenance agreements, etc. more government organizations (and businesses) would consider them viable. I may be fairly code-literate IT, but I don't understa…

You can also hire local Linux enthusiasts to create an in-house support team. That keeps the money for the support costs within the local economy and potentially they could even give back to the open source projects and represent your local interests within the open source community.

So I can tell my boss we should hire a six figure salary employee instead of buying a four or five figure annual proprietary product?

Honestly, as a taxpayer, I'd hope not.

And that's the problem, for more open source products, the available support is "pull requests welcome".

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