Re: looks like it's happening everywhere but the US.

On Fri, 24 Oct 2003, Jeff Kinz wrote:

> You misunderstood. I'm saying that the US is moving to Open Source, but
> that we can't enact laws that prohibit specific vendors from competing
> to do the work for the government.
> 
> In order to disagree with me you would have to be saying that Americans
> can enact laws that prohibit a specific vendor from competing for work.

  What does specifying vendors have to do with Open Source or the various
laws that are being proposed or enacted in other countries?  I believe we
all misunderstood what you were saying as it appeared as if you were
suggested that the two had a link to each other.

  Free/Libre and Open Source Software is not a vendor, but a
vendor-neutral methodology.  Even if the government mandated FLOSS
licenses for all software procured/used/distributed by government this
would not prohibit any specific vendor from competing to do the work any
more than governments requiring construction workers conform to safety
standards does not prohibit any suppliers.

  Trade agreements not allowing vendors to be mandated in procurements
should be helping us, but we have a long way to go to stop people from
thinking that pro-FLOSS legislation is somehow discouraged by
pro-competition aspects of trade agreements.  Mandating preferential
treatment for FLOSS is really just a logical and simple extension to NAFTA
chapter 10 which already mandates preferential treatment for open
standards.

  Canadian International Trade Tribunal and FLOSS
  http://weblog.flora.org/article.php3?story_id=448

  First step is getting the policy in place.  Next and much harder step is
educating current bureaucrats to the reasoning and benefit to them and
society of these policies so that they will discontinue looking for
loopholes.

---
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/> 
 Governance software that controls ICT, automates government policy, or
 electronically counts votes, shouldn't be bought any more than 
 politicians should be bought.  -- http://www.flora.ca/russell/