Smug Red Hat buoyed by UK gov's open-source three-line-whip The UK government's love affair with open-source technology has given software house Red Hat a shot in the arm, we're told. The company boasted that its government and system integrator business has grown in the "high double-digit rates" over the last three years. Red Hat, which offers various flavours of the open-source …
With Microsoft being unfashionable and Apple failing to offer enterprise solutions, it's no wonder OSS is growing at a cash-strapped administration.
The less that the productive economy's dollars (ie taxes) are funnelled into the unproductive economy (ie. government sector) the better the economy is.
But the lefties at the BBC won't like it.
Open Source isn't leftie, it's righty, it's right of libertarian ..
But investing in getting an open source solution to meet your needs and training staff to use it will save you a whole world of pain in the long run when compared to locking yourself into the vice of proprietary closed source alternatives that can withdraw support any time they fancy.
This is good news indeed.
So good to see common sense breaking out.
Looks like Tariq Rashid is sticking to his guns. We should support him in any way possible.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/31/government_closed_source_kicked_back/
As I warned - the pressure will be applied to him - let's hope he's made of stern stuff - I wrote at the time:
<quote>
How can we support this guy?
Tariq will come under immense pressure as there is so much money involved. He'll probably be offered a consultancy job with MS/EDS/usual suspects - millions per year - no need to actually do anything - in other words 'the usual'. ISTR MS have previous in this area.
Obviously, as anyone with experience and intelligence knows, open source software is a huge, massive improvement. Reduced costs, more flexibility, improved security, etc etc etc. Problem is - huge corps will lose out on lovely guaranteed government (taxpayer) money. Switching to open source software could go a huge way towards reducing our deficit.
Let's hope Tariq can get his dept filled with other intelligent people - or can get other informed people into positions within other departments. Or get backing from other open source friendly companies such as Red Hat.
Either that or let's hope he's on a mission.
Tariq - if you're reading. The pressure on you is going to be huge, subtle - stick, carrot - they'll probably try both. Please stick to your guns. You have a chance here to transform IT and stop billions of wasted pounds going to the US. You will get your reward later - the thanks from the British people. Also, there's no point in being extremely rich if you feel like a shit.
My other half worked at a company where a guy worked who had sold out his great graphics app to MS who then shut it down. He was then forbidden by the buy-out contract from working in that area of software.
OK, he could come to work in a different car every day - but he was a miserable little guy.
</quote>
The government has convinced the CESG, which sets security standards in government, to address this issue with a statement saying open source as a category is no more or less secure than closed proprietary software. …. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/31/government_closed_source_kicked_back/
Good and Proper and Right Royal Open Source is more than a match for closed proprietary software and one needs to embrace Virtual Machine and Android Thinking Platforms in AI Networks and Cyber Security Stations of ESPecial Operation …. GhostWorks, to further Seed and Enjoy All of the Pleasures and Treasures that Bounties Deliver with CHAOSystems
Requesting a TEMPEST service
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This is very good. Not forcing people to use open source out of principal, but to evaluate it and choose it if its the best. Redhat's enterprise linux provides great API stability for the long term, and if paying to use it meets the requirements, does the job without lock in and still wins on the cost front, then its the great win I wish more IT contracts were made of.
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