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[dclug] GOV + Open Source use, concerns and policies

Subject: [dclug] GOV + Open Source use, concerns and policies
From:
Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 19:52:10 +0000
To: "Vanderhoof, Tzadik" <Tzadik.Vanderhoof@xxxxxxx>

Google search for 
<"Open Source" + govenment + uses> 

. . . developed many leads which link to sources providing answers or responses 
to the issues listed in your dc-lug message of Thu, 16 Jun 2005 12:52:34 +0000.
May I suggest using DigitalDivide.org as a blog host to conduct discussions on 
the topics and to have greater public comment. If individuals are not 
confortable in establishing a blog for this discussion another possiblity is to 
use an existing account (I have one) and the content be placed for public view 
and comment without attributing an identifiable source. The topic is proper for 
Digital Divide to aire concerns, benefits, costs, political processes etc.

Re: Just to summarize the major areas of concern for the workgroup:

- Licensing/Copyright -- there is concern that Open Source licenses could
"obligate" the agency in some way and could cause us to be liable for
damages caused by the software

- Acquisition -- there is concern that choosing Open Source allows project
managers to bypass Federal acquisition regulations.  In other words, the
fact that there is no initial cost involved eliminates the oversight and
analysis that would normally be triggered by a request to buy something that
costs money.  Related to this issue is the concern that "total cost of
ownership" analysis is not being done.

- Maintenance/Support -- what can be done when there is a defect in the
software... What kind of support is available and when should it be
purchased?

The goal of the workgroup is to formulate a policy that will be followed for
adopting any new Open Source software.
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