Open-source allies woo U.S. government

Several open-source software companies and many other allies have banded together in a consortium called Open Source for America to try to persuade the U.S. government to use more of the collaboratively developed software, to participate in its development, and help its practitioners work with the government better.

The group includes more than 70 companies, academic institutions, organizations, and individuals. Among them are Linux sellers Red Hat, Novell, and Canonical; software sellers Sun Microsystems, its would-be acquirer Oracle, Mozilla, SugarCRM, Alfresco Software, Pentaho, Revolution Computing, Zmanda, EnterpriseDB, and Yahoo's Zimbra; and open-source allies including Advanced Micro Devices and Google. The full list, in all its glory, is at the organization's site, along with further lists of its board of directors, steering committee, and technical steering committee.

The group's ambitions are as broad as its membership.

"Open Source for America is bringing together some of the industry's brightest minds, who will work together with policymakers and the public so that technologies enabled by the software freedoms can help make government IT deployment more secure, more cost-effective, faster to deploy, with greater privacy, and the ability to help eliminate vendor lock-in," said David Thomas, principal with Mehlman Vogel and the organization's spokesman, in a statement. "Open-source software may not be a cure-all, but it could save billions of dollars, help foster innovation, and empower our government to work smarter."

The announcement was made in conjunction with the OSCON 2009 open-source conference.

[RighteousSoutherner]

As long as the GPL is not involved it's a good thing, otherwise it's none other than a socialist software movement (fits right nicely or dovetails with Mr. Obama's socialist ideals).

[Random_Walk]

Government transparency (which both sides can agree on) fits nicely with the GPL - you get to see exactly what the government bought with your tax money.

Nothing "socialist" about that, is there?

[BSinton]

Capitalism is not exactly proving to be the way to Utopia now though.

[YankeePoodle]

This is a pure hijack of the word "Open Source", by companies which just want to sell a boat load of maintenance licenses or other auxilary "Proprietary Software", or just want to track you like big brother. Oracle being part of this is just a joke. You can rename these guys as "Silicon valley snobs who dont like Microsoft".

[tm_anon]

The companies involved are there just to lend a name. By going open-source, it means the Government would be free to choose the best software for the job and easily move between distros to find the one that fits (just like current users of Linux), different apps to find just the right one (just like current users of Linux) and even be free to take a kernel, build their own distro and build their own apps on top of it (just like current users of Linux).

Oracle being part of this is just Oracle being part of it. Same with Red Hat, Canonical and Sun. They'd have to compete with each other to show who gives the best service for the lowest price.

[Seaspray0]

So basically they've formed a special interest group that will lobby politicians like every other special interest group.

[kaiman75]

@ RighteousSoutherner

You dittoheads wouldn't know a Socialist if one jumped up and bit you. GPL software has been used by the US Government for decades in fact, many government agencies made the transition to the Firefox Web Browser during the Bush Administration. So who you calling Socialist...

[Commander_Spock]

It is sooooooooooooo........ good that the OS/2 Operating System cannot be Open-Sourced (so says IBM) why should a company that wishes to distinguish itself from the competition run to a government with a "Me-Too Open Source Socialist Cup" in hand!!!

Come "work" for us for free!

[DMAN3k]

I wonder how those bunch propose to save US money.

Like run open-source software on their closed servers?

[Commander_Spock]

Much better than saving the "US money" would be if "this bunch" would be able to show CITI GROUP how to still get the sleek "CORPORATE JET" it had its eyes on that the President Obama Administration shot down; also, will they be able to show the airline companies how to get the "CONCORDE" to fly commercially - again (have passengers fly for free...) by saving all of these companies involved hundreds of millions of dollars through the use of Open-Source Software.

[Commander_Spock]

Also, why should the banks which control all your cash use software that every Tom, Dick and Harry have access to its innards (inner workings....) .

And, lest we forget what happened in recent history when "IBM, Bankers (were) at Odds Over OS/2 Migration Path
Vendor advises OS/2 users to switch to Linux, but ATM makers are leading push to Windows..."

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/83884/IBM_Bankers_at_Odds_Over_OS_2_Migration_Path?taxonomyId=089

Very Cool!

[ExWinUser]

@ Commander_Spock - you must have brains like a Klingon. Your link is about an article from 2003, ***. Open Source Software has come a long way since then. I suggest you report to sick bay and stay there. I don't know what Socialist means up there in your Universe but down here on Earth it refers to any one of various theories of economic organization advocating public or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and a society characterized by equal access to resources for all individuals with a more egalitarian method of compensation. So what's your problem?

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "@ Commander_Spock - you must have brains like a Klingon. Your link is about an article from 2003, ***. Open Source Software has come a long way since then. I suggest you report to sick bay and stay there. I don't know what Socialist means up there in your Universe but down here on Earth it refers to any one of various theories of economic organization advocating public or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and a society characterized by equal access to resources for all individuals with a more egalitarian method of compensation. So what's your problem?..."

ExWinUser! And, while you are at it and while "there can be nothing new under the sun" this is what is know in a certain part of the galaxy... re: "Although the role of government has varied widely in capitalist systems, the term "capitalism" is often used to refer specifically to free market capitalism. In a free-market capitalist state, legislative action is confined to defining and enforcing the basic rules of the market,[7][8] although the government may provide some public goods and infrastructure.[12]

The central axiom of free-market capitalism is that the best allocation of resources is achieved through consumers having free choice, and producers responding accordingly to meet consumer demand. This contrasts with economic planning, in which the state directs what shall be produced based on rational economic planning. This also contrasts with decentralized economic planning and democratic worker management. Capitalists believe that the privatization of state-provided services can achieve more efficient outcomes by enabling them to better respond to market forces. Free-market capitalists usually support free trade and the abolition of subsidies...."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism

as against, Anti-capitalism which describes" a wide variety of movements, ideas, and attitudes which oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another system; however, there are also ideas which can be characterized as partially anti-capitalist in the sense that they only wish to replace or abolish certain aspects of capitalism rather than the entire system...."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-capitalism

It would be "Mission Accomplished" when all those companies which have been out-sourcing American "jobs" and "technology" in the name of "open-sourcing" come around to the "Klingon" (Intellectual Property Ownership) Life Styles.

So, what is the next item on the agenda of the Open Source Software Movement - Control of the "Oxygen Supply Lanes" behind the Dark Side of the Moon!

"Bring It On"!

[tm_anon]

ignoring the idiocy posted directly above mine.

@DMAN3k

This bunch proposes to save the US money mostly by eliminating most of the threats faced to them by running Windows, by providing a guaranteed interoperability between different distros (meaning each area of government can actually use an OS built more specifically for them), by allowing them complete freedom in how many systems a given distro can be installed on (Linux doesn't do licensing), by providing most, if not all, the software needed for day to day chores free of charge and by only charging what's necessary for service.

In the case of Red Hat, the cost for service vs. the lack of need for service is extremely low when compared to the equivalent in Windows. In the case of Canonical, you only pay for service if you need it, the OS is still free to be updated for as long as you want/need it.

Oh, forgot to mention, the government wouldn't need to get rid of current hardware, Linux will run on what's there very nicely.

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "ignoring the idiocy posted directly above mine. .."

"Those Grapes Must Certainly Be Sour"! So said the "BRAINIAC FOX" (Tuxedo Clad Bird) about the 90% Code-Base OS/2 (Windows) Market Share.

[jtjt145]

It is about time that the legions of Micro$oft lobbyists in Washington got some competition.
Micro$oft has been ruling the roost for too long.

[monkeyfun14]

Wow your so clever everyone should totally listen to you I mean anyone who replaces S with $ must be like a total genius.

[lokanadam]

does opensource mean software should be a social service and not a commercial endeavour ?
what about bread and butter for programmers ?
why isn't google search engine opensourced ?
will open sourcing all microsoft products solve the world's problems ?
i think we need to get to terms with that first !

[lethalfang]

There are plenty of profitable enterprises built upon open-sourced software, such as those mentioned in this article. Only ignorant morons would think open-sourced software means a full-blown socialism.