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Why I Stopped Promoting Linux in Government
For a couple of years, I wrote exclusively for Linux Journal on Linux in Government. I found many government units deploying Linux and other GNU software in critical infrastructure around the world. Spurred by community members I specialized in the government arena. I had no idea of the depth and breathe of Microsoft's operations in Government. As some might characterize their operations, they hide under the cover of darkness. They operate where no one can see them. Don't buck them, they employ people who can take your life. My first glimpse of the dangers inherent in tackling government adoption occurred when a state senator asked me as a specialist to look at ways to cut budget dollars in a deep hole called the Department of Information Services. That senator filed a bill that specified the state consider the total cost of ownership including life-cycle maintenance costs, the costs associated with risk issues, including security and privacy of data, and the costs of ensuring security of the IT system itself. Essentially, we wanted to stop budget cuts in social services and shift the revenues from dead IT projects currently drawing budget money to the general fund. In my opinion, all hell broke loose. I have never seen so many alter-egos, shills and groups invented by Microsoft to stop free software adoption in government. I have also never seen as many dumb and dumber people occupying important positions in government. I started three open source efforts. They included governmentforge.org, the Open Government Interoperability Project and a LAMP project called Leopard. The players in the government arena essentially took those ideas and put them in their own projects one of which is Core.gov and the other called Government Open Code Collaborative. I would characterize the people involved in these type of organizations as nasty bureaucrats. I have never met one of them who cared about the people they serve. The ones I have met only care about their careers. They would cut the heart out of the person in the next office in a minute. I saw this as an intern at the Library of Congress, as an auditor in a DoD Management and Operations contractor, as a Oracle Financials documentation specialist at a DoE facility where I found misappropriations that ran about 50% and how they kept them off the books. Here's how they did it. The DOE used something called a WBS or work breakdown structure. When a cost accounting manager of a segment in the current year went over budget, he would find another cost accounting manager to transfer his overages into a future year. When they reached that future year, they would be out of money and would then make a request for additional funds. That's how projects have cost overruns and end up costing multiples of the original appropriation. It gets worse though. These crooks do it off the books and outside the computerized system. They have a person they trust keep manual records of these cost accounting transactions and they often pay that person. Did I give up. You bet I did. One of the champions of Linux and free software in a major state agency chose to purchase Windows XP desktops for everyone in the agency. I've heard that man speaking at National Conventions for Government CIOs exalting the benefits of free software. I have read the serenity prayer several times in my life. It goes like this: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. I decided to use the wisdom I gained in a lifetime of experience to accept the things I can't change. I also think that anyone in America who believes our government cares about us lives in a dream world. I don't care if you're a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or whatever. The people running for office are politicians. They don't listen and they don't care. Does that mean I won't muckrake, write and investigate? No, it doesn't mean that. I just won't work with politicians who claim they want to save our citizens money, keep jobs in the US and help all people in the US survive above the poverty level. |
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Comments (34)
can't blame you, Tom
6 earlier comments in the full thread.
Did you hear about the Lobbyist reform bill in Congress. What a fracking joke.
I guess they're afraid they'll all get exposed if they really made it a reform issue.
Here in Germany (and probably also over there at your place), it's the "Think Tanks" which are the problem I suppose, esp. the "Bertelsmann Stiftung" - you wouldn't believe who is on their paylists. And as I recently learned, your RAND organization isn't any better, with ppl like Rumsfeld and Rice on board... this must really be like fighting windmills...
Another "thanks" to Tom, who is still doing a great job after all these years.
cheers, wjl
'Honest' politicians, as I have seen them, do not seem to -stay- in politics very long ... with rare exceptions. I suspect they are rarer at the national level (including the House of Representatives) .. but, then, it also seems at times that corruption is more rampant in the backwaters!
Maybe that's because we have more opportunity to see it when it's in our back yard.
But, I just commented to a close friend: whatever wrong or corruption or evil we see is only a result of what humans are as a whole.
It really isn't 'corrupt politicians' but rather corrupt human hearts at every level.
However, I have commented many times before that I believe that honest people are rarely interested in power. They might be interested in actually -serving- the community (for whatever reasons, posterity, faith, conviction), but they are very unlikely to really want power. It may be true that some who started with the best motivations became corrupted by the lure of power (I'm using shorthand language for things that could be discussed, in themselves, at length).
Which is why I think (idealilstically) that no one who WANTS power should ever be permitted to HAVE it.
Can we really ever walk away from the battle? Well, we may very well need a rest at times... but I don't think any who see the need should ever give in.
I think political issues can keep people who are like-minded about the fundamentals of 'rightness' on opposite sides... and I'm afraid, aside from my own faith perspective, I haven't quite resolved that yet.
I do think we need to remind ourselves it's not any particular segment of the world (the U.S., Iran, Muslims, terrorists, immigrants, politicians, corporate executives, etc.) that is the problem: from the very beginning (Cain and Abel) the problem lies within ourselves and is all around us. Any other focus only serves to divide and create artificial oppositions that I believe may be a result of the problem but should never be seen AS the problem... as that is only a smoke screen.
Tom's comment about lobbyist reform is, of course, right on. People IN power will never really limit their own power... except in unusual circumstances. There have been times when conscience won over greed and lust... but those are uncommon events.
Think of how we vote when we know an issue will affect our jobs or comfort... perhaps that's a simple test of real courage.
The district ALWAYS went Democrat and anyone with the least bit of sense would be aware that would be the result this time as well, so the 'competition' was for, perhaps, some minor power position -within- the party, itself.
However, as stupid as the whole effort was, I saw dirty tricks in that campaign. It was eye-opening for a teenager. The other candidate had the party's backing... i.e. he was a shoo-in. Even so, he and his supporters resorted to dirty tricks.
That set the tone for me on my view of politics as a whole. Indeed, I've learned some other nuances since then, but the sour taste is pretty much the same... is it really anything different from some of the dirty tricks kids play in the schoolyard? Do we really expect adults to have 'risen above' all that???
Quoting:is it really anything different from some of the dirty tricks kids play in the schoolyard? Do we really expect adults to have 'risen above' all that???
I do expect people to grow out of that stage of life. When they don't it creates a dilemma for me. Should I out them? Or should I pray for them in silence?
I'm more inclined use the guillotine and not have to suffer internally. It just doesn't work that way.
Do good to those who hurt you, who spitefully use you... love your enemies... hmmmm
OUCH
But I really HAVE done it and seen it work... so what does that say of me??? Dull witted, thick headed, self-willed...
Anyway, we keep TRYING to muddle through... :-)
Maybe much of it comes down to realizing which battles -we- are really being asked to fight... and what are the best tools FOR the battle.
Have you seen any email about Darfur? I find the source interesting: the American Jewish World Service (dunno if I'd ever heard of them before) ... caring about genocide against a Christian population...
Others are fighting battles that mean their entire existence.
I just wondered want you were thinking. Not that I know, I'mOK with it.
I behaved as an the eternal optimist knowing good people ousted Lyndon Johnson the president who enslaved a generation.
It took a lot for me to realize that in the greatest country in the world, it's much less than perfect.
The more people, the more chance Linux has in the government...afterall, I'm moving to a government job and will push linux there as well (on Monday) so we are making innroads...we just have to keep pushing. Someday it will come.
Hard to beat that.
Recently French have voted to open up iTunes http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4828296.stm
Well, yes, but there are actually good reasons for Congress not to "mandate" tue use of OSS. Strongly encourage, yes, but not mandate. There are some tasks for which OSS is still not suited, and government agencies and managers need the freedom to use the best tools available.
All this COULD be and SHOULD be.
No, I agree about "mandate", but I also believe this would be far stronger ... while also a far greater threat to proprietary software providers!!!
...which, of course, is also why we're MOST unlikely to see it!!!
Oh, 'strongly encourage' could include required language for all procurements regarding TCO and cross-platform availability of software solutions.
Quoting:government agencies and managers need the freedom to use the best tools available.
Humm, but then, Government should then have access to the source, and, the right to modify or correct code to suit.
Certainly, vendor lock-in should always be considered, but government IT in general (federal, state, local) is not at all monolithic. Each agency in each area has its own issues and often its own procurements and IT staff (if any).
In other words, there is NOTHING really centralized (tho there may be in smaller states) and competency varies greatly.
Since there are so many independent jurisdictions, we can suggest 'good advice', but effecting change must be on a case by case basis.
State governments SHOULD have some opportunity to provide leadership within their borders, at least. And, as an example, to other jurisdictions.
However, the political landmines, as Tom has pointed out, are many and extremely difficult to navigate, while public interest in such an esoteric topic as "Information Technology" is so negligible as to be completely invisible.
In other words, just how and where do you start if you wish to educate or lobby the issue??
I don't think it's hopeless, by any means, but I DO think all of us who are concerned need to put on our thinking caps and, if nothing else, lobby informally wherever we can... letters to the editor, email to vendors, letters to our representatives, etc.
Now, does anyone know of any web site dedicated to all this? I believe there is at least ONE for Education, in general.
Etymology of politics
Dude...you are so plagerized.
LOL. Sweet.
Good news story - South African Social Security Agency
Our South African distributor started with a 13-city pilot. It has now been extended to 50 sites and the strategy has been officially approved by SASSA.
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I think this issue need to take a prominent place on the national stage, with both parties competing for ideas about how to clean up government. While I happen to think that the "smaller government" mantra of the Republicans will have to be at least a part of the solution, that does no good if they don't do anything to implement their campaign ideas. At the same time, the Democrats haven't figured out a way to mobilize their base with any sort of "clean up the bureaucracy" message. To do so would make them sound a whole lot like Reagan Republicans of old.