[HLUG] Letter to Herefordshire MPs

Mon Apr 4 12:19:34 UTC 2011

Pete,

Excellent.

I agree that shortening and bulletting would be an improvement and 
further suggest that you separate the two halves so that there is a 
clearer break between the FOSS day comments and the HMG initiative.

The concept you suggest is an ideal way forward as it presents the 
entrenched suppliers with a clear signpost "this way only", which they 
ignore at their peril.  However, I have little doubt that this will be 
ignored unless some more powerful allies present a similar view.

Sorry to have missed the meeting but have not been very well this week.

Rod

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>    1. Letter to MP's (info at lifespacedesign.co.uk)
>    2. Re: Letter to MP's (Chris Owens)
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 3 Apr 2011 13:09:10 +0100 (BST)
> From: "info at lifespacedesign.co.uk" <info at lifespacedesign.co.uk>
> Subject: [HLUG] Letter to MP's
> To: "Herefordshire Linux Users Group."
> 	<herefordshire at mailman.lug.org.uk>
> Message-ID:
> 	<1541276958.659728.1301832551132.JavaMail.open-xchange at oxltgw02.schlund.de>
> 	
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> ?
> Hi Gang,
> ?
> Here is a draft of a letter to our MPs in response to the cabinet office paper
> issued last week; on Document Freedom Day !
> ?
> Comments and feedback invited.
> ?
> Pete H@
> ?
> BEGINS
> Dear Bill and Jesse,
> 
> I am writing on behalf of Herefordshire Linux and Open Source User Group in
> response to the recently published Cabinet Office document "Government ICT
> Strategy"
> 
> It is clear that the writer has correctly identified a number of issues in HMG's
> management of ICT which have lead to failure and waste in the past, not least
> amongst which is the failure to adopt Open Document Standards in all aspects of
> HMG electronic document handling. This has also been a major barrier to take up
> in many businesses and third sector bodies.
> 
> At our recent Open Source Day in Hereford; which we regret you were unable to
> attend at this pivotal time; Dr. Mark Wright of Bristol City Council spoke in
> depth about problems caused to his administration by the use of proprietory and
> bespoke software at regional and national level, along with imposed legal
> obligations to use it.
> ( To see this address visit LINK)
> 
> We therefore welcome unreservedly the stated objectives of
> 
> ? "Create a level playing field for open source software"
> and
> ? "Impose compulsory open standards, starting with interoperability and
> security"
> 
> However, in the body text on page 8 there are the weasel words "where
> appropriate" in the context of procurement of Open Source solutions. May I put
> to you that so far as I know no one in HMG has ever examined the question of
> where is it appropriate to use expensive, closed, proprietory software for the
> business of public administration. The DEFAULT position must be to use Free and
> Open Source applications.
> 
> It is our view that these objectives can be met by one simple action.
> 
>>From a given date ( say 12 months from now) ALL electronic documentation used in
> the public sector at all levels and for any purpose must comply with ISO Open
> Document Standards.
> 
> This will force proprietory software manufacturers to develop simple plug-ins to
> enable Open Standards documents to be read and created on their applications and
> prevent the blocking of legacy versions of their own software.The compliance
> cost will be trivial, and roll out almost instant.
> 
> This would then open the door for local authorities to have genuine choice in
> the selection of office applications, including Free/Libre and Open Source
> options, so saving many millions of pounds of taxpayers money across the UK. For
> writers of new bespoke applications unique to UK local and national government
> this would make no meaningful impact, and following the objective of a single
> national resource base for such applications this is a trivial additional
> effort.
> 
> Where large numbers of citizens need to interact securely with a Government
> agency there is much that can be learned from successful online commerce and
> social media businesses who use a simple web based interface which is neutral to
> the user OS, and deploy robust and secure Open Source solutions at the back-end
> of their systems. Be aware however of the needs of those beyond the reach of
> true broadband services ( such as most of this County) for whom the "Cloud" is a
> distant dream.
> 
> I suggest to you that rather than implement another civil service ( who got us
> where we are today?) study at unknown cost, the implementation of this simple
> proposal would bring the industry into line, bring about the majority of the
> stated policy objectives and leave a rump of genuine issues to be considered in
> suitable depth by actual experts.
> 
> Finally may I take this opportunity to invite you to join us for International
> Software Freedom Day in Hereford on September 17th.
> 
> Pete Linnell
> for HLUG
> hlug at hlugorg.uk
> ENDS
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:06:38 +0100
> From: Chris Owens <cowens at clara.co.uk>
> Subject: Re: [HLUG] Letter to MP's
> To: "Herefordshire Linux Users Group."
> 	<herefordshire at mailman.lug.org.uk>
> Message-ID: <4D99982E.3090702 at clara.co.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
> 
>   Hi Pete
> 
>      I think this is really good, content excellent, might benefit from 
> shortening a bit, particularly between 'Where large numbers ....depth by 
> actual experts. I have found bulleted sectors are quite good for this 
> kind of recipient and is it worth including the point Mark made about 
> the security aspect having the nation's functionality entirely beholden 
> to the US. I don't think many people realise this, and even fewer the 
> significance of it - remote though it may be it is profoundly naive to 
> think that such a weakness could not be exploited at some stage.
> 
>       By the way I thought the Open Day was excellent and well worth the 
> trip - I enjoyed it. Good cordial welcome, general atmosphere 
> professional, tidy displays, excellent lecture, relevant, informative 
> and well delivered. Just two suggestions if they will help, one easy to 
> fix the other less so.
> 
>      1. Have each of the contributions obviously concentrating on one 
> subject say, Games, Office suites, Security, a couple of Distros 
> whatever with clear labelling as to what the stand is offering.
> 
>      2. Encourage stand holders to stay on their pitch for once they 
> have gone (which I have done many times in the past) to the average 
> passer the display becomes just like a counter in John Lewis or PC World 
> - kind of dead, they don't like to fiddle and don't know where 
> necessarily to find the stand owner.
> 
>      Hope this helps.
> 
> Chris
> 
> On 03/04/11 13:09, info at lifespacedesign.co.uk wrote:
>>   
>> Hi Gang,
>>   
>> Here is a draft of a letter to our MPs in response to the cabinet office paper
>> issued last week; on Document Freedom Day !
>>   
>> Comments and feedback invited.
>>   
>> Pete H@
>>   
>> BEGINS
>> Dear Bill and Jesse,
>>
>> I am writing on behalf of Herefordshire Linux and Open Source User Group in
>> response to the recently published Cabinet Office document "Government ICT
>> Strategy"
>>
>> It is clear that the writer has correctly identified a number of issues in HMG's
>> management of ICT which have lead to failure and waste in the past, not least
>> amongst which is the failure to adopt Open Document Standards in all aspects of
>> HMG electronic document handling. This has also been a major barrier to take up
>> in many businesses and third sector bodies.
>>
>> At our recent Open Source Day in Hereford; which we regret you were unable to
>> attend at this pivotal time; Dr. Mark Wright of Bristol City Council spoke in
>> depth about problems caused to his administration by the use of proprietory and
>> bespoke software at regional and national level, along with imposed legal
>> obligations to use it.
>> ( To see this address visit LINK)
>>
>> We therefore welcome unreservedly the stated objectives of
>>
>>    "Create a level playing field for open source software"
>> and
>>    "Impose compulsory open standards, starting with interoperability and
>> security"
>>
>> However, in the body text on page 8 there are the weasel words "where
>> appropriate" in the context of procurement of Open Source solutions. May I put
>> to you that so far as I know no one in HMG has ever examined the question of
>> where is it appropriate to use expensive, closed, proprietory software for the
>> business of public administration. The DEFAULT position must be to use Free and
>> Open Source applications.
>>
>> It is our view that these objectives can be met by one simple action.
>>
>>  From a given date ( say 12 months from now) ALL electronic documentation used in
>> the public sector at all levels and for any purpose must comply with ISO Open
>> Document Standards.
>>
>> This will force proprietory software manufacturers to develop simple plug-ins to
>> enable Open Standards documents to be read and created on their applications and
>> prevent the blocking of legacy versions of their own software.The compliance
>> cost will be trivial, and roll out almost instant.
>>
>> This would then open the door for local authorities to have genuine choice in
>> the selection of office applications, including Free/Libre and Open Source
>> options, so saving many millions of pounds of taxpayers money across the UK. For
>> writers of new bespoke applications unique to UK local and national government
>> this would make no meaningful impact, and following the objective of a single
>> national resource base for such applications this is a trivial additional
>> effort.
>>
>> Where large numbers of citizens need to interact securely with a Government
>> agency there is much that can be learned from successful online commerce and
>> social media businesses who use a simple web based interface which is neutral to
>> the user OS, and deploy robust and secure Open Source solutions at the back-end
>> of their systems. Be aware however of the needs of those beyond the reach of
>> true broadband services ( such as most of this County) for whom the "Cloud" is a
>> distant dream.
>>
>> I suggest to you that rather than implement another civil service ( who got us
>> where we are today?) study at unknown cost, the implementation of this simple
>> proposal would bring the industry into line, bring about the majority of the
>> stated policy objectives and leave a rump of genuine issues to be considered in
>> suitable depth by actual experts.
>>
>> Finally may I take this opportunity to invite you to join us for International
>> Software Freedom Day in Hereford on September 17th.
>>
>> Pete Linnell
>> for HLUG
>> hlug at hlugorg.uk
>> ENDS
>> --
>> Herefordshire LUG mailing list
>> Web:  http://www.herefordshire.lug.org.uk
>> List: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/herefordshire
> 
> 
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> End of Herefordshire Digest, Vol 1290, Issue 1
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