Re: Request Advice for Work Meeting on Why use GNU+Linux

[Jean Louis]

* lily via libreplanet-discuss <libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org> 
[2020-01-14 16:24]:
> Hello All!
> 
> I have a last minute question on how to prepare for a meeting tomorrow
> Tuesday 2pm Pacific Standard time. PLEASE RESPOND SOON!
> I work as a biostatistician for a hospital and when I started working
> there I requested a computer with a GNU+Linux OS. My request was
> promptly denied, because IT said they simply do not support Unix.
> But TOMORROW, there will be a meeting with the following objective:
> Discuss request for Providing a GNU+Linux operating system for a
> caregiver that will be using statistical software.

Major issue at hand is freedom. Why would a caregiver be subject to
unjust proprietary software?

What exactly that proprietary software does to computer and data of
caregiver? Obviously with proprietary software it cannot be known, and
data and information of the patient is at stake.

Free software can be studied and inspected, unlike proprietary
software, and is thus trusted and can be accepted as trusted.

> The Principle IT engineer wrote this email in anticipation of the
> meeting:
> 
> Greetings, I have passed information about this meeting to the manager
> of the Unix Server Operations team in case he wants to get anyone
> involved. I am also very concerned about the management and security
> of such a one off device. Given the network nature of Unix/Linux is
> there any reason that a Linux client server couldn't be provided
> instead with an X Windows Server provided on the Windows laptop to
> connect and utilize software that is installed (and hopefully managed)
> on the server?  While this is overkill for a single user I suspect
> that there are a lot more users in the various informatics departments
> that might welcome such a service. I hope this helps stir up some
> ideas.

UNIX is proprietary operating system.

UNIX is not equal to Linux. Linux is kernel of plethora of various
operating systems.

Thus to write Unix/Linux is incorrect, as there is fundamental
difference that Unix is proprietary software collection and Linux is
free software. Recommended version for Linux kernel is the GNU
Linux-libre kernel, which is liberated from proprietary blobs.

Millions of people are using GNU operating system with Linux kernel,
and with X Window system installed on a laptop, it is not an overkill.

> My background is in mathematics/statistics, but I am a supporter of
> Free Software because of all the good reasons why Free Software is
> what it is. I do not have any technical background with regard to
> servers, server client, network, etc and so I feel I will struggle
> with explaining why I made this request, why I think this is a good OS
> for serving our patients, and why it would be good for the long run to
> support GNU+Linux OS computers.
> 
> My question for the Libre community is: How do I present my case for
> tomorrow to explain why it is beneficial for IT at this hospital to
> have support
> caregivers that wish to work on a computer with a GNU+Linux OS?

Hospitals are for public good. They shall not be subjugated to
specific proprietary software vendors, which programming commands are
executed in the manner that only the programmer knows who and how.

That is unjust.

Same is for caregivers. Same is for information of patients.

Proprietary software is not trusted, it is abusing hospital and
subjugating it and this implies affecting the patients' privacy.

Jean