Re: Proposed Letter Text to Decision-makers

Looks good.  A very few comments inserted.


On Thu, 2003-01-02 at 13:47, Sim Brigden wrote:
> The following is a letter I'm drafting.  I propose that it be sent to
> non-technical decision-makers in Government.  I would very much welcome
> your views on how to improve/refine it.
> 
> DRAFT
> 
> I'm writing this letter to you to forecast a few things that relate to
> software usage in Government:
> 
> 2003 will be the year that Open Source software will start to make
> increasing headway into Government.  The usability, stability and
> explosion of top-notch, free(!) software is going to be looked at
> seriously.
> 
> Here are some of the programs which are on the near horizon or
> currently available:
> 
> Kroupware  - www.kroupware.org -
> 
> The Government of Germany has commissioned an open-source version of
> Microsoft's Exchange Server called Kroupware.  It is designed to have
> all the functionality of Microsoft's Exchange Server.  Version 1.0 is
> in beta testing and should be completed soon.  This means that the
> software that provides email, calendaring and contacts will be
> available for download at no cost.
> 
> I understand that Microsoft Outlook Clients will be able to connect to
> Kroupware as well open source clients and web browsers...
> 
> Mozilla - www.mozilla.org -
> 
> The Mozilla web browser.  It has features that Microsoft's Internet
> Explorer does not have, such as the ability to stop those annoying
> pop-up windows.  You can also open multiple windows inside a single
> browser window using the tab function.  Mozilla has a full featured
> Mail, Chat and News client built in.  Mozilla runs on just about every
> operating system including Windows and Linux.  It is FULLY standards
> compliant (unlike Internet Explorer).
> 
> Linux - www.linux.org - 
> 
> 2003 will bring Linux in from the server rooms and out to the desktop. 
> Redhat - www.redhat.com - and SuSE - www.suse.com - (to name a couple
> of major vendors) have released versions 8.x of their software.  It is
> still not quite as user-friendly as Windows, but with the Kroupware
> Client, Mozilla and now OpenOffice [See Below] there is very little you
> can do in Windows that you can't do in Linux.  Most importantly, Linux
> is very stable.  It comes with a superior, journaling file system and
> it is completely configurable.  I have been using Linux servers for
> over two years now and have had very few problems.  They just go and
> go...
> 

	Since this is geared toward non-technical people you should explain
journaling file systems and point out that Microsoft is planning on
implementing one - in 2005.


> I use Linux on the desktop here and at home and I am amazed at it's
> versatility and stability. [Insert your own testimony here - ED.]
> 
> OpenOffice - www.OpenOffice.org - 
> 
> Open Office ver 1.x is out.  It has very good compatibility opening and
> saving Microsoft Word documents (it's not 100% perfect and doesn't do
> macros).  Most importantly, you can create documents directly in HTML
> which means that ANY web browser can open them.  OpenOffice matches
> just about every feature of Microsoft Office except Access.  To date,
> there is really no equivalent to Access although Sun Microsystems sells
> a database with its version of OpenOffice called StarOffice -
> www.sun.com -.  Open Office is a good place to start looking at open
> source software.  Download and install it on your current machine at
> see for yourself - it runs on Windows as well as Linux (the Mac version
> is in beta testing).
> 

	Shouldn't that be Excel macros?  Also, "Download and install it on your
current machine [at] and see for yourself"


> MySQL - www.mysql.com -
> 
> Speaking of databases, MySQL is becoming seriously mature.  It is not
> as industrial strength as Oracle, DB2 or SQLServer, but the new
> features that are in version 4.x allow it to do many of the things the
> big, expensive databases do.  I have even been able to connect Oracle
> Forms to MySQL (for example) though an ODBC connection and it works
> just fine.  Set up correctly and backed up properly, this screamingly
> fast little database is becoming more and more valuable.
> 
> Apache - www.apache.org
> Apache is a web server (like Microsoft's Internet Information Server
> IIS) which actually rules the web.  It is being used to back-end more
> than 60% of all web sites.  Combined with MySQL and the PHP language,
> your web-site can inform, not to mention capture and dispense data
> using completely open source software.
> 
> Samba - www.samba.org -
> Lastly, in the background of the network is Samba.  Version 3.0 is
> coming out soon.  Samba is the glue that securely links computers and
> users together in the office network.  Version 3.0 will have the
> complete functionality of a Windows2000 Domain Controller.  In other
> words, it will be able to handle all the user accounts, file serving,
> printers and authentication that Windows2000 currently does.  This free
> software is being developed and supported by IBM and eliminates the
> need to purchase expensive Windows2000 Server licenses.  It runs on
> Linux servers.  Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP and Linux clients connect
> to it as though it were a Windows Server.  
> 
> I'm using Samba version 2.x here in our offices and it has been running
> smoothly for months without re-booting. [Insert your own testimony here
> - ED.]
> 
> The thing about all of the above is that most people use computers to
> create documents and send them to each other.  A few store or retrieve
> data.  90% of people use 10% of most software's features.  My question
> is, why spend vast sums of money on licensing software that most people
> hardly use when free versions exist?  
> 
> The answer is two-fold: the first aspect is familiarity.  The second is
> the cost of change.  Making the jump will take education, time and
> money, but once it's made, the returns will pay for themselves in short
> order and improvements in ease-of-use and functionality will make
> everyone wonder about what they used before...
> 
> Currently, governments such as Peru, Germany, France, England, the
> State of California and the Feds in the U.S. have either mandated or
> are looking to mandate the use of open source software.  China has even
> created it's own Linux-based Open Source operating system called Red
> Flag - www.redflag-linux.com.
> 

	Don't use Feds.  Slang.


> Because there are no licensing restrictions, having open-source
> software means you can legally tailor all of the above to suit your
> specific needs and offer it for download or make copies and distribute
> them to anyone.  Take for example, schools.  Teachers can legally give
> copies to every student.  Less advantaged children would only need to
> purchase a machine, not the software that comes with it.  

	Linux will run on older hardware that is a fraction of the cost of
newer systems.  New versions of Windows will not run on most older
hardware.


> 
> Your constituents, customers and suppliers  could all receive or
> download copies on request.  Because the source code is available,
> there is nothing 'hidden' about how the software works - meaning that
> it is fully compliant with any freedom of information requests too.
> 
> You might wonder how companies like RedHat and SuSE make money.  They
> do it by providing support.  They also build tailor-made solutions. 
> RedHat, for example, makes an industrial strength version specifically
> to optimally run Oracle.
> 
> I wrote this because I'm on a mission to inform Government of stable,
> secure, free choices available out there.
> 
> I hope to impress upon you that choices are opening up.  There is an
> ability to make sound business decisions which engender additional
> opportunities:  access to information, free distribution, software
> re-design (for example) while at the same time saving taxpayer's money.
> 
> There is one last factor:  think of all the programmers the world over.
>  Imagine if some of their time was devoted to improving the above
> 'products'.  Well, that is already a reality.  People the world over
> are contributing to this vast body of software.  It is constantly being
> improved, updated and documented. This is the new software paradigm.  I
> hope that my message today makes you to take a second look!
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________ 
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> 
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