[ILUG] email sent to potiticians about Mary Hannafin's decision not to use open source

[Bryan O'Donoghue]

Sent to :

John Gormley, Patricia McKenna, Enda Kenny, Simon Coveney and head_office at labour.ie

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Following the recent utter scandal with respect to E-Voting, yet another, 
utterly mindless, arrogant and short sighted decision has been made by this 
government vis-a-vis decision making in the area of IT.

Quite simply recently Mary Hannafin indicated, that "Open Standards" software, 
a buzzword for "Microsoft" software would be the preferred direction of the 
State's IT infrastructure into the future, over what is known as "Open Source" 
software.

Open Source software is software, that when distributed one has access to it's 
source code. This is an important point with regard to peer review of software, 
it security, it's integrity and verifying that no backdoors, or vendor supplied 
and deliberate security holes exist, to facilitate remote snooping of machine 
operation.

It is of no surprise that this announcement was made at a conference which was 
part sponsored by Microsoft.

Open Source software is essentially the core of what the Internet is based on, 
where Apache an Open Source Webserver, running on alternative Operating Systems 
to Microsoft's Closed Source Windows System. These systems are in the main 
called Linux www.linux.ie and FreeBSD www.freebsd.org.
On such Open Source systems, the entire source code to the system is readily 
obtainable. From the stand point of a user, developer or student the ability to 
scrutanise every aspect of the system means that flaws can be found and fixed, 
ideas derived and predicated upon and the entire process of development and 
deployment is transparent and organic, in complete contrast to Closed Source 
software, where frequently the practice of corporations like Microsoft to 
demand that customers 'upgrade' to newer versions of software (and pay for it) 
in order to fix vendor supplied software flaws.

Open Source software is greatly driven by the collaborative efforts of 
programmers across the world and for that reason, it goes through an enormous 
level of peer review and for this reason, is more secure then it's closed 
source counterparts.

Moreover, Open Source software is much cheaper, not to mention much less 
susceptible to viruses then it's closed source counterparts.

Given the utter contempt the Minister Cullen has shown towards the computer 
technical people in Ireland (indeed claiming that the Irish computer society is 
connected to an anti-globalisation movement), listening only to the 'experts' 
that suited the Minister, only to be shown to be completely in error, by an 
independent commission, it is quite clear that the many, many IT professionals 
such as myself who disagree with Mary Hannafin's misinformed, and probably 
quite costly decision will fall on deaf ears.

To this end, I would certainly be of the opinion that the decision making 
process and the net result of that process where Closed Source Software as 
Opposed to Open Source ostensibly Linux based software being used by the State 
is a huge mistake.

Certainly in the IT industry Microsoft's monopolistic practices, it's abuse of 
it's competition, it's lack of transparency and the general unreliability of 
it's software, has led many of more technically savvy people globally to flee 
from using it's software and embrace Open Source technology.

Examples of countries which are deploying Open Source software widely are 
China, Brazil, Japan and Korea.

Indeed the entire administration of the City of Munich has switched to Open 
Source technology. One famous quote from a German official was that the German 
government may as well have it's meeting in bugged room in Langley Virginia, as 
trust Microsoft's security to protect State interests.

I cannot highlight enough, the detriment it is my opinion the State will be in, 
if a long term investment in Closed Source as Opposed to Open Source solutions 
isn't enunciated.

Moreover, when it comes to the E-Voting machines, I, as a voter and an IT 
professional 'need' to see the source code of the software running on the 
voting machine in question, before I can have any confidence, that the system 
is tamper proof. A blase statement from yet another Closed Source Vendor which 
professes the reliability of it's software is completely insufficient and I 
think a grave uncertainty would be introduced into the voting mechanisms of the 
State, of the Voting machines in use, are not, Open Source Code voting systems.

The same general tennant pertains to all software, document formats, encryption 
systems and security systems which are in use in this state. If I as a voter 
and a citizen can't verify and scrutanise it, I can have no confidence in it.

Indeed Ireland is out of step with the general continental European movement 
towards Open Source software which is the only sort of software which can ever 
have truely Open Standards, by it's very nature. To suggest Microsoft and 
Closed source Software meets this requirement, is, essentially an oxymoron.

Thanks for reading

-- 
Bryan O'Donoghue
Embedded Software Engineer

Europlex Technologies Ltd
Clonshaugh Business & Technology Park
Dublin 17
Ireland

T:+353 (0) 1 2500500
F:+353 (0) 1 2500590
E:bryano at euoplex.ie
W:www.europlex.ie

-- 
Bryan O'Donoghue
Embedded Software Engineer

Europlex Technologies Ltd
Clonshaugh Business & Technology Park
Dublin 17
Ireland

T:+353 (0) 1 2500500
F:+353 (0) 1 2500590
E:bryano at euoplex.ie
W:www.europlex.ie


-- 
Bryan O'Donoghue
Embedded Software Engineer

Europlex Technologies Ltd
Clonshaugh Business & Technology Park
Dublin 17
Ireland

T:+353 (0) 1 2500500
F:+353 (0) 1 2500590
E:bryano at euoplex.ie
W:www.europlex.ie