John Gage wrote:
>Jim Self wrote:
>
>> What we need now is an Open Source implementation of MUMPS.
>
>If we had this, this discussion would be different.
>Public domain and open source are two different things, so
>the problems with VistA are not just that the interpreter is
>proprietary. Open source software must be licensed. Public
>domain software is like water: you can put it in Coke and
>sell it without crediting the well.
I don't think that any problems with VistA can be attributed to
the distinction between Open Source and public domain. VistA
source code is not going to disappear or become unavailable to
anyone in the forseeable future. The main problem is that all
of the major competing vendors of Standard MUMPS were recently
acquired by one vendor which now pretty much holds a monopoly
on that standard.
>But if there were a
>powerful, industrial strength M/Mumps interpreter out there
>that was open source, this discussion would be different.
>I've examined the alternatives to Cache and they're all bogus
>in some way or other: either not open source or non-existent.
>It's a strange situation.
Tell me which alternatives you have examined. I doubt that you
have examined them all. Although it does need a lot of work
before it will be industrial strength and it is not currently
progressing very quickly, I think there is a reasonable start
towards an Open Source MUMPS in FreeM.
http://freem.vmth.ucdavis.edu
>If I could make a suggestion to the Hardhats and their merry
>band, I would suggest that creating a M/Mumps interpreter is
>far more important than creating a dietary sub-system, for
>example.
I agree wholeheartedly, that is why I brought up the subject.
The idea has only recently begun to dawn on me that it might be worthwhile
to suggest that the VA, and other large organizations interested in health
care and/or Open Source in general, should be actively encouraged to
directly support development of an Open Source MUMPS.
>Coding is fun, but it's also important. There
>never should be only one solution to a problem in society.
>Ask yourself, "What's going to happen to Vista?" Is it going
>to become an increasingly lucrative franchise for one
>company? At society's expense? Is this what the Hardhats
>want?
>
>John Gage
>
---------------------------------------
Jim Self
Manager and Chief Developer
VMTH Computer Services, UC Davis
(http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/us/jaself)
