How does this one look?
+++++++++++
-> Editor
<- Concerned citizens
It has come to our attention that state and city governments of this state are
not acting in the best interest of it's citizens. These organizations claim
that they have no money yet they continue to give hundreds of thousands of
dollars (if not then millions) to software manufactures. They continue to
do this by leasing licenses for the operating systems (OS) and software
produced by these companies even though there are viable alternatives to
their software and operating systems which are part of a movement known as
being 'open source'. This movement is one in which the source code (inner
workings of the program) is available for everyone to inspect and to improve
upon. While some say this leads to less secure programs, that is not
true. The individuals who write computer virii are are usually young and
inexperienced individuals who think they are smarter than they really are
(this is why they ALWAYS get caught). And while they are looking at the code
with malicious overtones the wiser, more experienced generations are
inspecting the same code fixing any security flaws they might find.
Because the code is open for all to see it is also open for all to compile
(make operational) in whatever computing environment they wish. This means
that it is free to use as your software. This all boils down to that for
practically nothing you can have an operating system that that runs many
top-notch programs that many believe are superior to operating systems you
must pay for with the same funtionality.
I now would finish with a listing of government agencies that have chosen to
go with open source software to reduce costs, increase security, and to
improve performance:
-U.S. agencies like the Air Force, the Marine Corps, the Naval Research
Laboratory, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Agriculture and
Energy Departments just to name a few
-Intelligence agencies in the US, Canada, Germany, England, Spain, France,
and others
-The U.S. National Security Agency has even created its own version of Linux,
Security-Enhanced Linux, available for download from its Web site
Some state, local, and federal governments that use open source for the same
reasons include:
-Largo, Florida
Largo thought of installing Microsoft Office, but decided that the $100,000
price tag, the cost of maintaining OpenOffice.org over six years, was more
cost-effective when compared to $1.5 Million for licensing, installing, and
maintaining the proprietary software over the same period of time.
http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=01/08/10/1441239
-Bloomington, Indiana -Chappaqua, N.Y. -St George, Utah
Bloomington has found that open source is extremely reliable. They have one
server which has been up for more than 600 days.
In Chappaqua, N.Y. the ambulance company shifted its dispatch system to Linux.
In November, 1998 St George switched it's dispatch computers from an operating
system which was crashing almost daily basis, to an open source product.
http://www.cioupdate.com/article.php/10493_1497311
-Houston, Texas -Los Angeles -Portland, Oregon
Houston runs Web and domain name servers on the open source platform.
School districts in Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles use open software.
http://www.linuxworld.com/story/34260.htm?DE=1
-Garden Grove, California
By November of 1995 Garden Grove moved its computers to open source. They now
run 24 hours a day and are very stable.
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=218
-City government of, Italy
Renaud Dutreil, France's civil service minister, said said they would use
"open-source" software on some of it's computers, in a cost-cutting move to
reduce their deficit.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2809001,00.html
-Government of Israel
The Department of Commerce plans to move most of its users to the open source
program OpenOffice.org
http://www.linuxworld.com/story/38223.htm
-The German government.
In June of 2002 the German government made an open source deal with IBM and
SuSE Linux for its federal, local, and, state computer systems.
http://www.iht.com/cgi-bin/
generic.cgi?template=articleprint.tmplh&ArticleId=70026
-City government of Schwäbisch Hall, Germany
Open source software will replace proprietary software at government offices
to save more than $99,255 a year.
-Bergen, Norway
Bergen has chosen to replace some propietary computers with open source
servers for its schools and city databases and could later put the
open-source operating system on desktop machines.
-France
Bruno Mannoni, head of IT at the Ministry of Culture said they have cut back
expenses by replacing its Windows NT and Unix servers with open-source
alternatives.
http://linux.bryanconsulting.com/stories/storyReader$64
-China plans to use Linux solely in the 2008 Olympic games
http://www.asia-links.com/news/article.asp?articleid=13866&type=56
-Taiwan plans to move half of it's government's computers to Linux by 2007
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=4631
Sincerely:
Michael Havens
This message has been scanned for viruses by the VEI Internet
Automatic Email Spam and Virus Scanner, and is believed to be free of spam or viruses.
Please report spam to
spamtrap@vei.net. If you would like 98.9 % spam blocked from your
E-mail then go to VEI Internet for details. Anti-spam/Anti-virus is FREE with every account.
http://www.vei.net/
mailtospamtrap@vei.net
---------------------------------------------------
PLUG-discuss mailing list -
PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings:
http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
(text/plain)