LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Richard Russell <richard@yellowgoanna.com>
  To  : <rsharpe@ns.aus.com>
  Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2001 11:23:34 +1030

Re: Good news maybe ?? IT Minister

<snip>

> >> interest in Open Source and Free Software. We choose to use this
> 
> I would say that free is not relevant here. It is open source software.

I meant Free as in free speech... trying not to offend the RMS's among
us...

<snip>
 
> I think it is wrong to focus on Microsoft and its products. Instead, we 
> should be promoting the benefits to Government and Australians of open 
> standards and open source software.

I don't think I did, did I? I used it as an example... I'll try to
remove it in the second draft...
> 
> I think there is nothing wrong with a Microsoft that has to compete in a 
> world where open standards are king. They would not be in the monopoly 
> position they are in if governments and other organizations had insisted 
> on open standards long ago. The Internet is a stirling example of the 
> power of open standards.

it was... :)

<snip>

> >> We request that the Government adopt a policy that all new (and
> >> preferably old) software projects undertaken by the Government have
> >> their code released to the community under an open licence (GPL or
> >> BSD). This is a situation where the collaboration between Government,
> >> community, and even other Governments would result in a win-win-win
> >> situation.
> 
> This is something that is worth fighting for. After all, we own it, but 
> locking these things away in individual departments does no one any good.

Indeed -- While a lot of it is useless to anyone except the Govt,
there is nothing to be lost and a lot to be gained from releasing
it...


rr

-- 
Richard Russell
Yellow Goanna Pty Ltd
e: richard@yellowgoanna.com
m: +61 412 827 805
f: +61 8 8462 2362

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