[GLLUG] IT does cost

[Andy Smith]

Hello,

On Fri, Aug 06, 2021 at 11:17:42AM +0100, Chris Bell via GLLUG wrote:
> I am not a developer, but would be interested in the implications
> and costs of writing and maintaining government software systems
> using Free Open Source Software compared with Microsoft.

To be honest I am so disillusioned with the level of corruption in
government that I can't see how there could ever be a level playing
field for open source software in this market.

Both the buyer (the government) and the vendor just seem to want to
find a way to move as much money from the public purse to the
private sector as possible. Neither seemingly has any interest in
the actual technology, the level of service provided or even whether
the company survives the length of the contract.

It just seems like a massive waste of time trying to prove that
there can be a better way of doing things when the contract is
always going to go to a pre-selected vendor that has close ties with
the people doing the selecting.

No doubt lots of it is Linux underneath, but let's not pretend that
has any level of interest for any decision maker. There's money to
be made here. :(

Cheers,
Andy