[n_america] [Fwd: [CPI-UA] Free/Libre and Open Source Software at the World Summit on the Information Society.]

[Amali De Silva]

I just want to introduce Jim. Jim is a director of the Vancouver Community Network, Canada and a lawyer.
 
Amali

James Sayre <jsayre at clasbc.net> wrote:
This is an issue that most of us would support, and it's likely to be a 
hot one. MS and the US government will no doubt push hard to discourage 
countries like Brazil and Germany from using Linux and other o.s. 
software. 

I guess Bush's (Paul Wolfashit's) lovely little decision yesterday not 
to let countries that opposed the invasion of Iraq bid on 
reconstructions contracts might help the o.s. cause along a bit in 
Geneva, eh? Like anyone in their right mind would want their staff to 
join the foreign targets in Iraq anyway...

Jim

--
Jim Sayre
jsayre at clasbc.net



> ATTACHMENT part 2 message/rfc822 name=[CPI-UA] Free/Libre and Open Source Software at the World Summit on the InformationSociety.
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2003 11:02:08 -0500 (EST)
From: Russell McOrmond 
Subject: [CPI-UA] Free/Libre and Open Source Software at the World Summit on
the Information Society.
To: Honourable John Manley ,
Reg Alcock MP -- Jeff Legault ,
Reg Alcock ,
"Bélanger,_Mauril_-_M.P." 
CC: CANadian OPENsource Education and Research ,
Universal Access Canada 

I am sending copies to my MP in Ottawa-south, and a few other MP's and an
MP's assistant that have expressed interest in the past.

Please pass this letter onward!


I have been watching the WSIS as closely as I can from Canada. I hope
that in the future that I will be reporting from the summit itself, but
need to find someone to sponsor me as I could not afford to go on my own.

An article I read today in OPEN Magazine is worth hi-lighting. It
reminds people that the question of FLOSS vs "software manufacturing"
(treating of software as a manufactured good to be paid for on a per-unit
royalty fee) is not a technical one, but a social, economic and governance
one:

To quote the article: http://weblog.flora.org/article.php3?story_id=537

The choice between free software, Open Source, and proprietary 
software is not a technological choice. It is a social choice, and a
choice of business arrangement. It is a social choice, like deciding
you want your citizens to be able to send email, not just receive it. 
It is also a business arrangement, like deciding that you want to buy
a car rather than rent one. It is a matter of sovereignty also: If the
government uses non-free software, it hands control of the
government's computing to a private party, usually foreign.

"Technological neutrality is a good principle, but it does not imply
neutrality on social issues, business arrangements, or sovereignty."


I have authored or referenced a number of articles about FLOSS at WSIS 
on my weblog. Use the following search to see a list of them:
http://weblog.flora.org/search.php3?query=WSIS


The importance of the last one, the governance issue, can not be
underestimated. When it comes to software that controls ICT, automates
government policy, or counts votes, software "code is law". We must
ensure that for this subset of software that this form of law receives the
same level of accountability and transparency as other law enacted by
democratic governments. One of the easiest ways to do this, and to also
receive the social and economic benefits as a bonus, is to ensure that
this type of software is FLOSS.

---
Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: 
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/





Amali De Silva-Mitchell MSc.

Tel: 1-604-736-9012 & Email: amalidesilva at yahoo.com

 

 

 





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