Showing posts with label free software. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free software. Show all posts
Reliance money with firefox
I too am a Reliance money Account Holder. Reliance Money has got a tie-up with Microsoft for their site. That's why even your Reliance email account is in a Windows Live site. This is absolutely against the freedom of usage that one is entitled to. Especially, Internet Explorer is so low on security as compared to Firefox. Who gave Reliance Money the rights to decide our preferences? I have already complained regarding this to the customer service. I am planning to publicize this matter by writing to financial magazines. I suggest you do the same from your side and to your capacity
Moodle is not for free.............
Moodle has gained many users over the last few years as universities, colleges, departments and institutions look at trimming their budgets. Clearly many schools simply are saying NO to the high fees charged by Blackboard or other traditional learning management systems.
Moodle is a highly capable product and is available as open source software, therefore it’s worthy of consideration for an institution looking to move away from the high annual subscription fees and other hidden costs. Clearly someone a bit technical can quickly build a moodle site for a small group or classroom.
However, in truth Moodle is not free. In point of fact, getting Moodle to become operational for a university or college implementation can become pretty expensive.
Let’s take a moment to break it down and compare it to a subscription to TOPYX®, our recently launched fully hosted learning distribution service that blends the features of a traditional LMS with embedded social networking services and community tools.
All of our assumptions are admittedly highly variable, but we have tried to be as conservative and fair as possible.
Moodle fees and costs:
Initial install and setup: First off, someone needs to download, install, and support Moodle, on an ongoing basis. Depending on the size of your organization, this could easily be full time dedicated resource in your IT department. Naturally this varies, school to school, but in order to be conservative and fair let`s assume it can be as little as a part time (50%) role for an IT professional at an average salary of US$70,000 annually.
Site branding: Do you want your Moodle site branded to your school? It may not be a huge job, but it’s probably about US$1,000 to do a reasonable job.
Customization: Next, would you like to customize how Moodle is used in your school? Again, it`s difficult to generalize, but let`s assume this will be approximately a three month project for a similar IT professional.
Content: Next, you will have to move your content from it`s your current source over to Moodle. This will be true with whatever product you choose, however, with Moodle, you are on your own unless you contract with a Moodle service provider. As this will be required whether you use Moodle or TOPYX, and the effort will generally be the same. I’ll omit it from the comparison.
Hosting: How will you be hosting Moodle?
At a high level you have two choices: Your own hardware and software, or a hosting provider.
Naturally volume will determine the hardware requirements, but at a minimum for proper execution you will want a database server and an application server. Minimum cost for these will be about US$4K each and they’ll probably need updating every three to four years. Large installations will require much larger servers.
If you choose a hosting provider, fees run from $25 per month to about $600 per month. For the simplest comparison, I’ll simply use the hosting fees of US$3.5K annually and not include outlays for dedicated hardware, even though it may be used.
Training: I am seeing many courses available for Moodle implementation and usage from a variety of sources. Moodle Programming, SQL with Moodle, Moodle implementation, etc. The list is quite extensive. Usually for "Train the trainer" and "Implementation Assistance" courses a school should very conservatively consider about US$10K in the first year.
Additional Software: As for software, you’ll also require versions of SQL. Yes, you can get them free; however, you’ll also require additional technical staff. Let’s use two weeks annual IT time to build out a conservative estimate, therefore about US$3K.
Overall Site Upgrades: Naturally, you will want to be adding functionality to your Moodle site above and beyond the initial basic setup. New features will be requested, new interfaces required and testing to be done and so one. Clearly the modifications are highly variable, however from our own experience we would expect this to be somewhere in the range of ½ of the combined Initial Setup and First Year Customization effort on an ongoing basis.
Authentication: Will you and your IT team be trying to enable single sign-on through your school authentication system. This will be more time and money. Let’s use 1-2 week’s IT time to be fair, or about US$2.0K.
Communities and social networking components:
Some tools, such as forums are included with Moodle. Many are not however. If you wish to integrate social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn you are clearly blazing new trails. This will require endless hours of coding and testing. We know, because we’ve done it! Because we don’t know if you’ll want it or need it, so to be absolutely fair, I won’t add additional cost for this with Moodle. However, if you are thinking about it, be prepared for a three to four additional person months of effort and cost at a minimum, probably around US$20k. With TOPYX it’s included and part of the platform.
Now let’s add up the tab. How much does FREE cost (US$000s)?
Moodle First Year Costs
Moodle license: 0
Install and initial set up: 35
Site Branding: 1
Customization: 17.5
Hosting: 3.5
Authentication: 2
Database: 3
Training: 10
Moodle First year Total: US$72K
Moodle costs thereafter:
Customization and Maintenance: 27.5
Hosting: 3.5
Moodle Ongoing total: US$31K
Moodle is a highly capable product and is available as open source software, therefore it’s worthy of consideration for an institution looking to move away from the high annual subscription fees and other hidden costs. Clearly someone a bit technical can quickly build a moodle site for a small group or classroom.
However, in truth Moodle is not free. In point of fact, getting Moodle to become operational for a university or college implementation can become pretty expensive.
Let’s take a moment to break it down and compare it to a subscription to TOPYX®, our recently launched fully hosted learning distribution service that blends the features of a traditional LMS with embedded social networking services and community tools.
All of our assumptions are admittedly highly variable, but we have tried to be as conservative and fair as possible.
Moodle fees and costs:
Initial install and setup: First off, someone needs to download, install, and support Moodle, on an ongoing basis. Depending on the size of your organization, this could easily be full time dedicated resource in your IT department. Naturally this varies, school to school, but in order to be conservative and fair let`s assume it can be as little as a part time (50%) role for an IT professional at an average salary of US$70,000 annually.
Site branding: Do you want your Moodle site branded to your school? It may not be a huge job, but it’s probably about US$1,000 to do a reasonable job.
Customization: Next, would you like to customize how Moodle is used in your school? Again, it`s difficult to generalize, but let`s assume this will be approximately a three month project for a similar IT professional.
Content: Next, you will have to move your content from it`s your current source over to Moodle. This will be true with whatever product you choose, however, with Moodle, you are on your own unless you contract with a Moodle service provider. As this will be required whether you use Moodle or TOPYX, and the effort will generally be the same. I’ll omit it from the comparison.
Hosting: How will you be hosting Moodle?
At a high level you have two choices: Your own hardware and software, or a hosting provider.
Naturally volume will determine the hardware requirements, but at a minimum for proper execution you will want a database server and an application server. Minimum cost for these will be about US$4K each and they’ll probably need updating every three to four years. Large installations will require much larger servers.
If you choose a hosting provider, fees run from $25 per month to about $600 per month. For the simplest comparison, I’ll simply use the hosting fees of US$3.5K annually and not include outlays for dedicated hardware, even though it may be used.
Training: I am seeing many courses available for Moodle implementation and usage from a variety of sources. Moodle Programming, SQL with Moodle, Moodle implementation, etc. The list is quite extensive. Usually for "Train the trainer" and "Implementation Assistance" courses a school should very conservatively consider about US$10K in the first year.
Additional Software: As for software, you’ll also require versions of SQL. Yes, you can get them free; however, you’ll also require additional technical staff. Let’s use two weeks annual IT time to build out a conservative estimate, therefore about US$3K.
Overall Site Upgrades: Naturally, you will want to be adding functionality to your Moodle site above and beyond the initial basic setup. New features will be requested, new interfaces required and testing to be done and so one. Clearly the modifications are highly variable, however from our own experience we would expect this to be somewhere in the range of ½ of the combined Initial Setup and First Year Customization effort on an ongoing basis.
Authentication: Will you and your IT team be trying to enable single sign-on through your school authentication system. This will be more time and money. Let’s use 1-2 week’s IT time to be fair, or about US$2.0K.
Communities and social networking components:
Some tools, such as forums are included with Moodle. Many are not however. If you wish to integrate social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn you are clearly blazing new trails. This will require endless hours of coding and testing. We know, because we’ve done it! Because we don’t know if you’ll want it or need it, so to be absolutely fair, I won’t add additional cost for this with Moodle. However, if you are thinking about it, be prepared for a three to four additional person months of effort and cost at a minimum, probably around US$20k. With TOPYX it’s included and part of the platform.
Now let’s add up the tab. How much does FREE cost (US$000s)?
Moodle First Year Costs
Moodle license: 0
Install and initial set up: 35
Site Branding: 1
Customization: 17.5
Hosting: 3.5
Authentication: 2
Database: 3
Training: 10
Moodle First year Total: US$72K
Moodle costs thereafter:
Customization and Maintenance: 27.5
Hosting: 3.5
Moodle Ongoing total: US$31K
Why I quit Reliance Money?
· Comparatively twice the delay in opening account initially. Took 20+ days.
· Inconvenient security token
o Without security token you can’t trade.
o It creates inconvenience and discomfort more than security
· Poor trading portal
o Trading portal is not compatible with Firefox or Opera.
o In Internet explorer (IE6/IE7/IE8), it stuck most of the time. You need to re-login again and again.
o JVM installation is also required
· Poor customer service
o No response to emails most of the time
o Otherwise it will take many days to get an email response
o To email them, you need to login to very uncomfortable email account of Reliance Money Mail (Now associated with hotmail)
o No TOLL FREE Number for support. All major share brokers have toll free no. for cust.care
o When an unauthorised tele-trade occurred in my account, they simply said they can’t do anything on the matter. (Case ref:1606762)
· Inconsistent tariff – Always increasing
o They increased the AMC from Rs.50 to Rs.200, i.e. 400% increase
o Limit card turnover limit decreased from 5 lakh to 2 lakh for PR-500. i.e. 60% increase in effective brokerage
o Rs.15 additional charge was introduced per trade for limit card users
· Inconvenient security token
o Without security token you can’t trade.
o It creates inconvenience and discomfort more than security
· Poor trading portal
o Trading portal is not compatible with Firefox or Opera.
o In Internet explorer (IE6/IE7/IE8), it stuck most of the time. You need to re-login again and again.
o JVM installation is also required
· Poor customer service
o No response to emails most of the time
o Otherwise it will take many days to get an email response
o To email them, you need to login to very uncomfortable email account of Reliance Money Mail (Now associated with hotmail)
o No TOLL FREE Number for support. All major share brokers have toll free no. for cust.care
o When an unauthorised tele-trade occurred in my account, they simply said they can’t do anything on the matter. (Case ref:1606762)
· Inconsistent tariff – Always increasing
o They increased the AMC from Rs.50 to Rs.200, i.e. 400% increase
o Limit card turnover limit decreased from 5 lakh to 2 lakh for PR-500. i.e. 60% increase in effective brokerage
o Rs.15 additional charge was introduced per trade for limit card users
REDUCE COST OF TECHNOLOGY
"Open Source is the most rapidly growing technology today. Within five years, 54% of CIO's surveyed, said Open Source will be their primary platform."
What is Open Source?
Open Source refers to software, the license for which requires that its software code be open, extensible, and freely distributable. Such an open environment enables developers from around the world to share thoughts and ideas. This collaborative development allows for faster and more efficient review and testing, thereby helping to speed concepts to market. Developers then put these elements to use in custom-built software solutions that can be sold to consumers (businesses and government agencies) with less expensive,if not non-existent, licensing requirements.In addition, using Open Source code results in products that are more easily adaptable to existing IT infrastructures.Compare this to a proprietary software business model wherein a company covets its source-code as the way to generate licensing revenue. Creation of new ideas, as well as review and testing of software developments,are kept in-house or farmed out to select companies. Furthermore, proprietary software often stipulates certain information technology (IT) requirements that force businesses and government clients to upgrade infrastructure. This adds additional layers of cost.
The Government IT Environment
It was once said that an army travels on its stomach, referring to the need for provisions. If trends in government spending can be considered an indicator, then it is arguable that government in the 21st Century travels by computer.
Access to the source code makes software easy to configure to specific user needs. Because opensource is freely distributed, it can greatly reduce the user's total cost of computing. Open-source software is reliable, stable, scalable, secure and extremely cost-effective.
In fiscal year 2003, the U.S. Government budgeted more than $58 billion for IT products and services. More than 4 million desktops, laptops, and networked Computers play essential roles in allowing federal agencies to achieve their goals. It is no stretch to see that the financial impact of government IT spending is now a matter of concern for administrators and taxpayers alike. Virtually every computer within the federal government uses either an operating system or an application that runs on proprietary software. The associated licensing fees cost the government well in excess of $100 million annually. Nationally, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
According to the research firm IDC Corp., federal, state, and local governments combined spend upwards of $34 billion a year on software.
A Role for Open Source The model of Open Source development combined with the scope of government IT needs results in several obvious benefits.
1. Cost Savings - Licensing Fees
Perhaps the most obvious reason for replacing proprietary software with Open Source applications is the potential for eliminating expensive licensing arrangements with firms that have no incentive to negotiate rates, regardless of the client’s relative size.
2. Solutions vs Software
Organizations using Open Source solutions own the features and functionality of the
software itself. This is the difference between buying a direct solution and a ready-made piece of software. Users are not dependent on outside forces to dictate the form, fit, and functionality of the application. With Open Source programming, the
application received is precisely what the customer wants: nothing more and
nothing less.
3. Speed to Deployment
Because the core elements of Open Source solutions are developed by a worldwide community of programmers and engineers working together, market deployment of these solutions is often quicker than proprietary business models. Open source developers working directly with consumers, in this case government agencies, can apply the best technology to meet the agency’s immediate needs. Occasionally, good Developers do reinvent the wheel; however, the vast majority of Open Source solutions are not created from scratch. This “open” development model creates the ability to deliver final, working, and tested solutions faster and more efficiently.
"Open source has numerous benefits,
including breaking the relentless hold of
technology lock-in, and cost savings in
acquisition and life-time support costs,"
-Lou Agosta, Forrester Research
“Ultimately open source will become mainstream,
not just the domain of "the four pony-tailed guys
in the corner."
- Rob Soni, a venture capitalist with
Matrix Partners in Waltham, Mass.
Source: Forbes, March 2004
4. Cost Savings - IT Investments
Because Open Source solutions are scalable and interoperable, they can make use of
existing IT infrastructures. This flexibility allows for the deployment of solutions that are designed to work with multiple or existing systems, and which will preclude the necessity for costly upgrades in the future.
Open Source Standards & Security Another significant benefit of Open Source that is rarely addressed is standardization. The Department of Justice estimates there are 16,000 different methods used by local governments to classify the same 300 bits of information in their databases. This is an ineffective and inefficient way to administer information and furthermore, is wasteful of tax dollars. Open Source applications are relatively low-cost and fast-to-market,and can be shared among organizations.
In addition, Open Source solutions are secure. Prominent members of the financial industry, such as Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse First Boston, use Linux "open" servers for transactions.
Open Source Is Already Here
Open Source is not a new phenomenon. One of the world's most popular Internet
companies, Yahoo, abandoned its own proprietary scripting language in favor of an Open Source solution. According to cNET, the move was prompted by "an eye towards its
bottom line." This is only one small example. Open solutions are also used at Go.com,
Netscape's Open Directory Project, LookSmart, Lycos, and across the web. In fact, it is estimated that almost half of all web sites currently run on servers using an Open Sourcebased system, such as Apache.
Open Source applications are growing in use throughout the private sector. Evidence of this is found in Hewlett-Packard’s (HP) 40% revenue increase from the sale of servers with the Linux operating system and related support services. HP experienced sales of $2.5 billion in 2003, up from $2 billion in 2002. With 28.1% of the Linux-based servers sold worldwide, HP has invested heavily in Open Source. Moreover, IBM accounted for almost the same percentage of Linux-based servers sold. Since servers are normally deployed as one per application, many corporations and governments have assembled “IDC said last week in a market forecast briefing. Linux server sales of nearly $3 billion in 2003 are expected to rise to nearly $9 billion by 2007,according to market researcher IDC. Over the same period, IDC believes Linux server
shipments will increase from about 800,000 to about 2.5 million.”
–Source: cNET , news.com
large server farms, which have an average hardware utilization of 20% or less. Due to
its ability to run on a wide variety of platforms, Linux is fast becoming the de
facto operating system for servers and this year should surpass the number of Windows
2000 servers sold.
Open Source In the U.S. Government
A review of the current government IT climate shows the extent to which Open Source
software has already become popular within the federal government. This is in addition to the fact that Open Source solutions were used to program and operate the two most recent NASA Mars rovers.
Historically, Open Source technologies had been discouraged within the Department of
Defense (DOD). In 2002, MITRE Corp. found that at least 115 applications of Open
Source origin, with 251 examples of use, were routinely utilized within DOD. Moreover, MITRE estimated that these findings represented just “the tip of the iceberg.” The applications in use ranged from 25 examples of PERL scripting language, to 22 uses of Apache web server, to19 examples of Linux, to 3 examples of Red Hat™ Linux, to one example each of many other applications.
The same study revealed several other surprises. MITRE found that many DOD intranets
depend heavily on Open Source, as does the department’s software development. Open
Source is used extensively in security applications, and research uses Open Source or the exchange of ideas and shedding of costs. Since Open Source had been discouraged within the department, why then was it being used at all? First, but not always foremost, is cost. The high capability-to-cost ratios are a powerful atraction.
Second, many Open Source solutions are highly responsive.
Third, there is a broader range of support options, from third-party to in-house to a combination of the two, with in-house providing support for critical components only. Security of the propriety software was often a concern, since only one major software firm—the respective vendor/developer—provided only after-thefact security patches. This security model results in a weakness not being fixed until it has been exploited by a virus or a hacker. After reviewing the MITRE study, the Chief Information Officer of DOD put Open Source on equal footing with other commercial off-the-shelf products.
Among federal agencies, the National Weather Service has deployed Linux on an limated 2400 workstations and servers, resulting in savings of almost 75%, largely because the operating system requires less maintenance. Moreover, the National Weather Service plans to convert to Linux by year-end their systems at more than 122
forecast offices. The Census Bureau has developed a system to help citizens retrieve data using a variety of Open Source software applications, including Linux, Apache Web server, MySQL, and Perl (commonly referred to as LAMP).
Other agencies that are actively seeking Open Source solutions are the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, and nearly every department in between. While the floodgates may not be completely open, clearly the wheel is turning and gate has begun to rise.
One Final Government Stamp for Open Source Since Red HatTM Advanced Server 2.1 has been approved as a Common Operating Environment for DISA, and SuSE’s Enterprise Server 8 has been granted the Common Criteria Security certification, Open Source has now been approved to run on the nation’s most critical computer systems: command,control, communications, and intelligence. Additionally, the National Security Agency has developed a security-enhanced version of Linux for use throughout the federal government.
What is Open Source?
Open Source refers to software, the license for which requires that its software code be open, extensible, and freely distributable. Such an open environment enables developers from around the world to share thoughts and ideas. This collaborative development allows for faster and more efficient review and testing, thereby helping to speed concepts to market. Developers then put these elements to use in custom-built software solutions that can be sold to consumers (businesses and government agencies) with less expensive,if not non-existent, licensing requirements.In addition, using Open Source code results in products that are more easily adaptable to existing IT infrastructures.Compare this to a proprietary software business model wherein a company covets its source-code as the way to generate licensing revenue. Creation of new ideas, as well as review and testing of software developments,are kept in-house or farmed out to select companies. Furthermore, proprietary software often stipulates certain information technology (IT) requirements that force businesses and government clients to upgrade infrastructure. This adds additional layers of cost.
The Government IT Environment
It was once said that an army travels on its stomach, referring to the need for provisions. If trends in government spending can be considered an indicator, then it is arguable that government in the 21st Century travels by computer.
Access to the source code makes software easy to configure to specific user needs. Because opensource is freely distributed, it can greatly reduce the user's total cost of computing. Open-source software is reliable, stable, scalable, secure and extremely cost-effective.
In fiscal year 2003, the U.S. Government budgeted more than $58 billion for IT products and services. More than 4 million desktops, laptops, and networked Computers play essential roles in allowing federal agencies to achieve their goals. It is no stretch to see that the financial impact of government IT spending is now a matter of concern for administrators and taxpayers alike. Virtually every computer within the federal government uses either an operating system or an application that runs on proprietary software. The associated licensing fees cost the government well in excess of $100 million annually. Nationally, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
According to the research firm IDC Corp., federal, state, and local governments combined spend upwards of $34 billion a year on software.
A Role for Open Source The model of Open Source development combined with the scope of government IT needs results in several obvious benefits.
1. Cost Savings - Licensing Fees
Perhaps the most obvious reason for replacing proprietary software with Open Source applications is the potential for eliminating expensive licensing arrangements with firms that have no incentive to negotiate rates, regardless of the client’s relative size.
2. Solutions vs Software
Organizations using Open Source solutions own the features and functionality of the
software itself. This is the difference between buying a direct solution and a ready-made piece of software. Users are not dependent on outside forces to dictate the form, fit, and functionality of the application. With Open Source programming, the
application received is precisely what the customer wants: nothing more and
nothing less.
3. Speed to Deployment
Because the core elements of Open Source solutions are developed by a worldwide community of programmers and engineers working together, market deployment of these solutions is often quicker than proprietary business models. Open source developers working directly with consumers, in this case government agencies, can apply the best technology to meet the agency’s immediate needs. Occasionally, good Developers do reinvent the wheel; however, the vast majority of Open Source solutions are not created from scratch. This “open” development model creates the ability to deliver final, working, and tested solutions faster and more efficiently.
"Open source has numerous benefits,
including breaking the relentless hold of
technology lock-in, and cost savings in
acquisition and life-time support costs,"
-Lou Agosta, Forrester Research
“Ultimately open source will become mainstream,
not just the domain of "the four pony-tailed guys
in the corner."
- Rob Soni, a venture capitalist with
Matrix Partners in Waltham, Mass.
Source: Forbes, March 2004
4. Cost Savings - IT Investments
Because Open Source solutions are scalable and interoperable, they can make use of
existing IT infrastructures. This flexibility allows for the deployment of solutions that are designed to work with multiple or existing systems, and which will preclude the necessity for costly upgrades in the future.
Open Source Standards & Security Another significant benefit of Open Source that is rarely addressed is standardization. The Department of Justice estimates there are 16,000 different methods used by local governments to classify the same 300 bits of information in their databases. This is an ineffective and inefficient way to administer information and furthermore, is wasteful of tax dollars. Open Source applications are relatively low-cost and fast-to-market,and can be shared among organizations.
In addition, Open Source solutions are secure. Prominent members of the financial industry, such as Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse First Boston, use Linux "open" servers for transactions.
Open Source Is Already Here
Open Source is not a new phenomenon. One of the world's most popular Internet
companies, Yahoo, abandoned its own proprietary scripting language in favor of an Open Source solution. According to cNET, the move was prompted by "an eye towards its
bottom line." This is only one small example. Open solutions are also used at Go.com,
Netscape's Open Directory Project, LookSmart, Lycos, and across the web. In fact, it is estimated that almost half of all web sites currently run on servers using an Open Sourcebased system, such as Apache.
Open Source applications are growing in use throughout the private sector. Evidence of this is found in Hewlett-Packard’s (HP) 40% revenue increase from the sale of servers with the Linux operating system and related support services. HP experienced sales of $2.5 billion in 2003, up from $2 billion in 2002. With 28.1% of the Linux-based servers sold worldwide, HP has invested heavily in Open Source. Moreover, IBM accounted for almost the same percentage of Linux-based servers sold. Since servers are normally deployed as one per application, many corporations and governments have assembled “IDC said last week in a market forecast briefing. Linux server sales of nearly $3 billion in 2003 are expected to rise to nearly $9 billion by 2007,according to market researcher IDC. Over the same period, IDC believes Linux server
shipments will increase from about 800,000 to about 2.5 million.”
–Source: cNET , news.com
large server farms, which have an average hardware utilization of 20% or less. Due to
its ability to run on a wide variety of platforms, Linux is fast becoming the de
facto operating system for servers and this year should surpass the number of Windows
2000 servers sold.
Open Source In the U.S. Government
A review of the current government IT climate shows the extent to which Open Source
software has already become popular within the federal government. This is in addition to the fact that Open Source solutions were used to program and operate the two most recent NASA Mars rovers.
Historically, Open Source technologies had been discouraged within the Department of
Defense (DOD). In 2002, MITRE Corp. found that at least 115 applications of Open
Source origin, with 251 examples of use, were routinely utilized within DOD. Moreover, MITRE estimated that these findings represented just “the tip of the iceberg.” The applications in use ranged from 25 examples of PERL scripting language, to 22 uses of Apache web server, to19 examples of Linux, to 3 examples of Red Hat™ Linux, to one example each of many other applications.
The same study revealed several other surprises. MITRE found that many DOD intranets
depend heavily on Open Source, as does the department’s software development. Open
Source is used extensively in security applications, and research uses Open Source or the exchange of ideas and shedding of costs. Since Open Source had been discouraged within the department, why then was it being used at all? First, but not always foremost, is cost. The high capability-to-cost ratios are a powerful atraction.
Second, many Open Source solutions are highly responsive.
Third, there is a broader range of support options, from third-party to in-house to a combination of the two, with in-house providing support for critical components only. Security of the propriety software was often a concern, since only one major software firm—the respective vendor/developer—provided only after-thefact security patches. This security model results in a weakness not being fixed until it has been exploited by a virus or a hacker. After reviewing the MITRE study, the Chief Information Officer of DOD put Open Source on equal footing with other commercial off-the-shelf products.
Among federal agencies, the National Weather Service has deployed Linux on an limated 2400 workstations and servers, resulting in savings of almost 75%, largely because the operating system requires less maintenance. Moreover, the National Weather Service plans to convert to Linux by year-end their systems at more than 122
forecast offices. The Census Bureau has developed a system to help citizens retrieve data using a variety of Open Source software applications, including Linux, Apache Web server, MySQL, and Perl (commonly referred to as LAMP).
Other agencies that are actively seeking Open Source solutions are the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, and nearly every department in between. While the floodgates may not be completely open, clearly the wheel is turning and gate has begun to rise.
One Final Government Stamp for Open Source Since Red HatTM Advanced Server 2.1 has been approved as a Common Operating Environment for DISA, and SuSE’s Enterprise Server 8 has been granted the Common Criteria Security certification, Open Source has now been approved to run on the nation’s most critical computer systems: command,control, communications, and intelligence. Additionally, the National Security Agency has developed a security-enhanced version of Linux for use throughout the federal government.
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