[clug] Enterprise Linux use

[Mike Carden]

As some people know, I currently work for the Australian government
and I have been involved in doing OSS 'stuff' within government for
about six years.

Along with fellow clugger Stephen Boyd, I am now on the AGIMO OSS COI.
The public service loves acronyms, don't they? Australian Government
Information Management Office Open Source Software Community Of
Interest. This is a Federal cross-agency initiative bringing together
practitioners and decision makers in all Commonwealth agencies who
have expertise or interest in the use or development of OSS in
Australian government agencies. If you are employed by the Oz
government and aren't a part of the COI (and you'd like to be), please
send me an email and I will get you added to the email list and
invited to the meetings.

Right now, AGIMO is in the process of completely rewriting their 2005
Guide to Open Source Software for Australian Government Agencies.
[http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/guide-to-open-source-software/index.html]
 In fact, the first draft of the rewrite was released to the COI for
review yesterday, and I'll be reading it with my pedant wand set to
'stun'.

The 2005 guide was a good, if slightly naive, start - and we think it
can be done better now.

In tandem with the effects of the Gershon review (if you work in govt
IT you already know what that is), the PRODAC square metre
restrictions (look it up [australian government property data
collection], I'm not linking PDFs), huge software licensing costs and
increased demand for high quality govt services... the picture for OSS
in government has never been so compelling.

Just between you and me, some previously dedicated proprietary
software customers within the Oz govt are looking not just at their
options, but actively seeking OSS alternatives for their current
unsatisfactory situations. No names, no pack drill, but the dollar
figures are staggering.

Anyway, to Dave the OP, don't sweat it. The revolution is coming. Your
employer can listen to you and ride the wave, or sink after the wave
goes past.

-- 
MC