[Asterisk-Users] Linux and Windows

[Karl J. Vesterling]

There are exceptions to the rule...

For instance, if an RFP contained requirements that only an open-source 
solution, or a solution written from scratch would provide the open source 
solution may be accepted on the grounds that it is the least cost solution.

HOWEVER!
One may have to file protest after protest after protest in order to win 
the award of the contract.

For instance...  Where I work there is absolutely no open-source allowed on 
production or development systems.  However for security purposes certain 
open-source solutions are permitted.  This is because of the fact that 
where security is concerned open-source tools are often used to find the 
vulnerabilities.  Hence one must use those very same tools in order to 
identify the vulnerabilities that a would-be hacker would find.

On some production systems Perl is used for various things.  This is 
justified by the fact that it is bundled into Solaris by Sun 
Microsystems.  However in Solaris 8 at least it looks as if the version 
bundled was configured and built by vandals.

All in all, it comes down to the evaluation team for the award of the 
contract.  However the evaluation team will have to justify to the OIG 
(Office of Inspector General) exactly why open source is justified.  That 
can happen, especially if you force the evaluation team to come to the 
conclusion that it's easier to justify open source to the OIG than to 
perpetually refute the protests being filed of their award.

Germany on the other hand is a different animal entirely.  They've embraced 
open source, but I think that the U.S. will take a "Let's wait and see." 
approach.  The U.S. Govt is also much larger and tends to move at the speed 
of a glacier when it comes to adopting "new things" where a risk is 
involved.  They tend to err on the side of caution.

At 09:10 PM 11/1/2004, you wrote:
>Its hard to get to the bottom of this. I've seen things on the internet 
>saying open source in all forms is banned. I've also seem lots of things 
>about deployments in the US government in general and the DoD in 
>particular. I guess like most things the left hand never knows what the 
>right hand is doing.
>
>I think the main thing holding back government adoption of free things in 
>most markets is the rather small size of a 5% back-hander on a free solution.
>
>Steve
>
>
>Karl J. Vesterling wrote:
>
>>At 06:51 PM 11/1/2004, you wrote:
>>[snip for brevity[
>>
>>>
>>>So the U.S. Govt has never used linux anywhere? Wow.
>>
>>
>>Not in most installations, and definitely not in DoD facilities.
>>The "Office of Inspector General" has deemed open source to be "Verboten".
>>
>>That's going to become an interesting situation when Solaris goes open 
>>source...
>>http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1647198,00.asp
>>
>>
>>>*Question:* Why isn't there a commercial solution available in some cases?
>>>*Answer:* What company in their right mind would engineer a competing 
>>>product to a solution that costs $0.00 ???
>>>
>>>Again making the mistake that open source equates non-commercial.
>>
>>
>>Once again...  The Office of Inspector General has deemed (any and all) 
>>open-source to be forbidden.
>>
>>Whether it be commercial of non-commercial open-source software it's 
>>forbidden.
>
>
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Best Regards,
Karl J. Vesterling
E-Mail: kjv at ken-ton.com
Yahoo Messenger: karl_vesterling
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