Re: [discuss] Re: [Fsfe-uk] Re: [discuss] Open source software News

[Ralph Janke]

Sander Vesik wrote:

> Chris Sherlock wrote:
>
> > I suppose this seems like a fair enough answer... I guess you see 
> > software more as an infrastructure that the govt should maintain and 
> > develop. I'm still not so sure...
> >
> > What I *do* think, however, is that governments should make it 
> > compulsory for software companies (and peripheral companies, in 
> > particular!) to open their code. Do you know the number of times I've 
> > had to scrap or make do with 2nd-best because I couldn't see the 
> > source code of some crappy product???? :) I guess that's why I only 
> > run Linux now (especially now I've worked out CUPS and Samba).
>
> I don't agree with this - governemnts dictating things about software 
> and hardware have so far only given lots of negative results. The 
> goverment should require that things it buys have open interfaces (and 
> this applies to both hardware and software). This gives you a good 
> balance and keeps most of the lobbyists from paying attention and 
> screewing things royaly up.
>
> > Chris
I agree with Chris. Governments should not dictate private businesses 
waht to do and what not to do.

However, what governments should do since they are the stewarts of the 
taxpayers money, is to require that wherever public spending is involved,
the need for the use of non-open source software should be explained and 
approved, not the other way around. There can be very good reasons
not to use open source software, however, the default should be the 
lowest cost solution for the benefit of the taxpayers.