Are government agencies serious about open source?

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: PHIL HOCHMUTH ON LINUX
09/12/05
Today's focus: Are government agencies serious about open
source?

Dear security.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* What are the real motivations for gov't agencies' moves to
open source?
* Links related to Linux
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: Are government agencies serious about open
source?

By Phil Hochmuth

Recent stories about open source technology in government raises
the question of whether CIOs of municipalities are serious about
moving to Linux and open source technology, or if they are just
using the threat of such a switch as a way to either get
Microsoft to lower pricing on its software, or to force the
dominant desktop software vendor to add new features?

One case
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2005/090105-mass-open.html?rl>
involves the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' plan to dump
proprietary software and move to such technologies as Linux on
the desktop, and OpenOffice for productivity applications.
Earlier this month, the office of the CIO issued a document for
public review, outlining the plan to move away from applications
that save files in proprietary formats. The document calls for
all government documents to be saved in the XML-based
OpenDocument standard.

Some have called the time frame for the transition - Jan. 1,
2007 - unrealistic, while others say that all the tiny, but
important nuances of state government and technology have not
been through. For example, several observers including advocates
for the blind and disabled have said that such a move would be
disruptive and cause problems by making state-run Web sites and
digital documents inaccessible to the disabled; much of the
accessibility technology the state has used is built on
Microsoft technology. Mandating a changeover in such a short
time, and without proper funding, would be a disservice to
citizens, critics say.

After releasing its proposal calling for a wide-scale shift to
open source, the state's CIO Peter Quinn seemed to back off the
open source push in a call with reporters, saying that the idea
is just to move to an open standard of file formats, the
XML-based OpenDocument standard for file formats. This might not
necessarily preclude Microsoft desktops. (Microsoft Office 12,
due in 2006, is supposed to have XML support, but does not use
the OpenDocument standard by default.)

"We have tens of thousands of desktops in the Commonwealth, and
most run Microsoft Office," Quinn says. "Wouldn't it be
wonderful if we didn't have to deal with that kind of transition
anytime soon? At the end of the day, we hope everyone gets to
open formats."

So the question from the top of this newsletter remains: is
Massachusetts serious about breaking with Microsoft on the
desktop, or just using the threat of such as jump as leverage to
get the features it wants in Office 12?

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Google hacking <http://www.networkworld.com/nllinux6764>

2. Supermarket chain freezes Internet access
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllinux6564>

3. Cisco warns of another IOS bug
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllinux6765>

4. Firefox upgrade offers improved usability, security
<http://www.networkworld.com/nllinux6766>

5. 2005 salary survey <http://www.networkworld.com/nllinux3885>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Phil Hochmuth

Phil Hochmuth is a Network World Senior Editor and a former
systems integrator. You can reach him at
<mailto:phochmut@nww.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by ProCurve Networking by HP
Network World Executive Guide: The Evolution of Management
Technologies

With applications and infrastructures growing more sophisticated
and demanding, network and systems management technologies are
more critical than ever. Elevating their focus from bits and
bytes, these networked systems are being called on to close the
gap between IT and business services. Read about the future of
management, including BSM and emerging automation tools. Learn
about 'hot spots' and 'best products' in network management.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=114129
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

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Archive of the Linux newsletter:
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE

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What is hype and has it influenced your network security
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