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Simon Phipps's personal commentary

Rising Tide

The open source tide continues to rise in europe, even as the forces of closed software meet for their annual gathering in Los Angeles. This time it's a report to the Danish government recommending a positive move towards open source software.

The working group has compiled a detailed analysis of the use of open source software in public administration in Denmark - especially the economic perspectives. The analysis shows that open source software is a viable alternative to the proprietary software.

According to ZDNet UK, the report says:

"It is... not sufficient for us in Denmark to follow Britain and Germany, for example, in merely recommending that open source should be 'considered'. A more active decision must be taken in those areas where there is a de facto monopoly."

and especially recommends proactive switching to OpenOffice.org now that Microsoft Office has stagnated:

The Board recommended that the Danish government take an active role in promoting an open, XML-based alternative for file formats, either by switching to OpenOffice's XML format or launching an EU-wide project to develop a new format.

However, the report recognised that establishing a existing alternative or a new format would be an uphill battle, given that Microsoft Office cannot read OpenOffice documents or other formats. The Board recommended that Denmark begin a series of trials to test the feasibility of introducing open-source software such as OpenOffice.

Extending Shared Source will not be enough to stem this tide - governments want the right to fork as the guarantor of the right to choose again.

posted at 8:19 AM (UK) | Comment? (0 so far) | links to this post | |

Cool Tools: SDM

This week's cool cross-platform tool is a software download manager, free from Sun. Just cut & paste the file download URL and SDM manages a resumable download. Small, simple, effective. Sadly it runs from a script/batch file rather than having an executable JAR but otherwise it's fine.

[Previous cool tools: jEdit - jAlbum - jDiskReport ]

posted at 12:24 PM (UK) | Comment? (0 so far) | links to this post | |

Not Hip

Depression in the mail today. Unlike Sam Ruby and Danny O'Brien, O'Reilly turned down my proposal for an ETCON session. This is my third rejection letter from O'Reilly - maybe I should just give up, I am clearly not **CON hip.

posted at 6:50 AM (UK) | Comment? (0 so far) | links to this post | |

If the network were the computer...

When I say 'revolution in pricing' I mean it, by the way. While there's plenty to discuss in Sun's new Java System offerings, the thing that's most significant to me isn't so much the technology features (or the naming) as the sign that Sun's rediscovered the truth that "the network is the computer". The rediscovery is in process:

• If the network were the computer, pricing and licensing wouldn't depend on how the network/computer was implemented - and the Java System is priced per employee, not per processor, removing all the barriers to innovation that per-processor licensing introduces. So
  • employees can have access to the desktop systems they need, thick or thin, without licensing headaches.
  • There's no need for the BSA to bring the armed federal marshalls in because licensing compliance is self-evident
  • You can handle processing load changes without worrying about having the right licenses
  • You can speculatively try new services without having to commit funds to software license growth
• If the network were the computer, there would be no point trying to artificially define boundaries to defend in the name of security. Rather, security would be based on multi-factor ID systems that created a 'positive privacy' around each person and thing on the network and around the interactions they need.
• If the network was the computer, software would be developed by the community of stakeholders rather than by 'experts in isolation'. So Java Desktop is built from open source parts to deliver a great place to deploy Java client software.

I apologise is this seems market-hype stuff, but I'm genuinely exploring this idea - I think we're actually on to something here and I'd even rest my cynicism long enough to describe it as 'exciting'. What else would be true if we all really believed the network was the computer?

posted at 9:42 PM (UK) | Comment? (0 so far) | links to this post | |

Office Freedom Beginning to Bite

Interesting how news items juxtapose. Comments like those from Volker Weber and Todd Bishop raise questions about why anyone should bother with Microsoft Office 2003 (especially as very little has changed in anything except Outlook, and what has changed seems to predicate purchase of proprietary middleware) if they have something already that's good enough for them (we've not upgraded from Office 95 on the one PC we have still running Windows 98 - the rest are running OpenOffice.org). Volker says:

But I still don't see any good reason to upgrade my production system from Office 2000, which was the last version that did not force you to activate through registration. ... Office 2003 does not add new features to Word, Excel or PowerPoint. Instead Microsoft is pushing software development on top of the "Office System". Tightly integrated with backend systems like Sharepoint or Exchange, these applications will be raising the bar for competitors in the collaboration space. There is a big IF in this plan. Customer will have to upgrade their infrastructure with the latest MS server technologies to enable these applications.

and despite a positive start Todd quickly reflects voices of doubt (even from among the faithful):

Office is largely competing with its former self. "Office XP and Office 2000 are solid products -- they didn't have significant problems. The end result is that this product as a fix for those products just won't be as compelling," Enderle said. "You have to want the collaborative capability that exists in it before you're going to get too excited about it."

"We're going to be upgrading primarily because we have the right to do that, and we're looking to justify why we spent all that money (on the licensing program) a year and a half ago," Cotes said.

And I'm seeing articles everywhere saying "it's not worth the upgrade".

Meanwhile, the European Commission's IDA office has just published its 'Open Source Migration Guidelines' to help EU bodies wanting to move off Windows select and deploy the open source solutions they need. They've also built a spreadsheet to help calculate the cost savings of such a move (in terms of an estimated time to recoupe the cost of migration). I'm not sure I'd agree with their assumption that the cost of acquiring open source software will always be zero, but the revolution in pricing that's being driven by open source will mean that, even with non-zero pricing, it is a compelling proposition. Maybe, like the City of Munich, people are starting to be ready to pay for freedom above features?

posted at 9:35 PM (UK) | Comment? (0 so far) | links to this post | |