As the author of one such script, I would agree that it is a "user beware" situation. It would be nice if the work could be expanded upon and made more safe. But one has to start somewhere.
Kevin --- steven mcphelan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > There is one issue I have with the WorldVistA VistA > codebase. I mentioned > this at Boston. But it needs to be brought up in > this larger context. > 1. Who has access to this code base to make any > supposed modifications to > it? > 2. What relationship will all these "scripts" have > to the official codebase? > a. Will these scripts be certified by some > official entity with > WorldVistA as being fully compatible with the VA > VistA code base and will do > no harm to VA VistA? > b. If not will the variances be documented? > c. Is there a list of these scripts and their > certification status by > some entity in authority for WorldVistA? > 3. To date, who has been allowed to make > modifications to the WorldVistA > VistA codebase? > a. Have those modifications been well documented > so that others can > review them? > b. Who decides what modifications will and will > not be added to the > WorldVistA codebase? > c. Are there established, documented processes > certifying these changes > have done no harm to the VA VistA code base? > d. Where is the documented plan to maintain, > support, and update any > modifications made to the VA VistA codebase? > e. Is there a well defined software QA process > established to certify > any of these changes to the VA codebase. If so who > is involved with this > and are the findings available for review? > > I could go on... > Rick did promise that some of these may be addressed > at the next WorldVistA > meeting. > > I think the audience needs right now a list of these > scripts and which of > these are officially blessed by WorldVistA (i.e., > the Board and the > President) and why. Or there should be a disclaimer > presented with some > such wording as "User beware and use at your own > risk". Frankly, I believe > people get this stuff from WorldVistA or hardhats > and believe that it has > the total and unreserved approval of the WorldVistA > Board and the President > of WorldVistA. I am not sure that approval really > exists. I personally > view these "scripts" as any other freeware. If you > like it, use it, but YOU > assume ALL responsibility for the outcome of using > it. > > As an example of these concerns: > This move to internationalize VistA is no small > trivial task, It will > require extensive modifications of FOIA VistA. Thus > each and every patch > that is released by the VA will have to be scrubbed > to make it > internationalized ready for implementation into the > WorldVistA codebase. > Again this is no small trivial process. The code > and the KIDS build has to > be modified. Then it has to be extensively QA'd > again. It needs to see if > there are any new interactions with the FOIA > codebase that did not exist > previously. This is no simple, trivial, short-time > frame task. Where is > the published processes documenting who, what, > where, when, and how this > will be done (or any of the other modifications > made)? > > Or will the modified WorldVistA codebase be like > HUI? I am under the > impression (right or wrong) that the HUI VistA > codebase is way out of synch > with the current VA codebase, like maybe several > years out of synch. I am > not the only one with this impression. > > I raise this up on this licensing thread because the > answers to these > questions will affect the license. If it is open > source, then I as an > end-user have the right to know exactly who, what, > when, where, and how > items are incorporated into the SUPPORTED codebase. > WorldVistA does not > have a financial engine like Apache to generate > resources to maintain this > support. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mark Street" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2005 2:11 PM > Subject: Re: [Hardhats-members] Vista-Office - > ..worldvista..openvista...opensource... off-topic > eh? > > > > Well, riddle me this...... and I just didn't fall > off the turnip truck. > > > > Several board members of WorldVista also have a > commercial interest in the > > success of VistA, along with a few outside > commercial vendors who have the > > dough to throw at this immense project. > > > > How many code bases are there now? FOIA, HUI, > WorldVistA, OpenVistA? > From > > where I sit Medsphere with it's hired talent and > marketing power has a leg > > up. > > > > 1. WorldVista is the organization - OpenVista is > the codebase. (T/F) > > 2. What specific 'open source' license(s) are > being considered for > > 'OpenVista'? > > 3. What boundaries in the fine print of the GPL > are of concern to the > > WorldVista organization? > > > > The boundaries that separate what's yours from > what's ours would be > similar to > > genetically modified corn or cotton seeds being > carried by natural or > other > > means from your field into my field. I imagine > the concept will have to > be > > similar to proprietary binary modules plugged into > the Linux kernel, or > > binary only distribution of commercial components. > > > > Anyway you look at it, your's vs. our's does not > foster broad community > > support, involvement and innovation. Look to the > Apache project, PHP and > > the Linux kernel of models that have succeeded in > this regard. > > > > Like I have seen on a signature on Linux Today.... > one must first > understand > > recursion to understand recursion. > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > SF email is sponsored by - The IT Product Guide > Read honest & candid reviews on hundreds of IT > Products from real users. > Discover which products truly live up to the hype. > Start reading now. > http://ads.osdn.com/?ad_id=6595&alloc_id=14396&op=click > _______________________________________________ > Hardhats-members mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! 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