[oclug] Open Source Oppositions Get Serious

[Robert Echlin]

Public organizations often need access to old data, like dozens of years old.
For that reason, they should use data formats for which tools will always 
be available,
or can be re-created.
Whether the tools they currently use are still available is irrelevant.

If they use Open Source tools because the tools will "always be available",
they will lose out.
The tools will always be upgraded, and the old ones left behind.
After 20 versions or so, do you think the new versions will read the old 
data correctly?
Not very likely.

Robert


At 09:11 PM 9/28/02 -0400, you wrote:
>I think this is an interesting article about the tactics being used to 
>oppose open source use:
>
>http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,55354,00.html
>
>For me the argument is completely clear - public organizations should use 
>open source tools so they can ensure that these tools will always be 
>available.  The fog screens being raised to obscure this clear requirement 
>are amazing.
>
>--
>================================================
>Randal Leavitt
>Registered User 267646 at http://counter.li.org/
>
>
>
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----- Robert Echlin, B. Eng.    --
Read '101 ways to burn water' at: http://magma.ca/~rechlin/burn/
Fave site: http://www.HogwartsAlumni.com (bias alert)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada