Mark Rogers wrote: > MJ Ray wrote: >> Finally, I guess I'll need to wait for my VCS referees to consent >> before I can register, which may take a while. How are suppliers >> new to VCS going to get listed? Seems like a barrier to entry. >> > > I'm not sure if Mark Brier or Matthew Edmonson are following the threads > they started (they've joined the list so can see the thread), but if > they are I'd like to see some debate about how best FOSS suppliers can > work with public sector bodies; there do generally seem to be several > barriers to entry because governments generally surround things with red > tape. > This isn't intended as a criticism of Mark or Matthew, its quite > likely they're doing their best to battle through it too. But the people > who seem to do best out of government projects tend to be the big > companies who can afford a department dedicated to managing the > relationship with the customer. (I appreciate that this topic is more > related to the voluntary sector, but its the government approach to > managing it that I'm refering to, not the potential end users.) > > I'm not sure where Mark/Matt are based but it would be nice to have them > or someone like them present to a meeting at some point. I'm really keen > to see PLUG get more involved in stuff like this but don't know where to > start. >
Hi there. Thanks v much for your response. The email was sent from [EMAIL PROTECTED] because we read a number of LUGs, and don't want to receive everything twice. I understand that it is difficult for FOSS organisations and small organisations in general to work with the public sector. I do think however this is part of a wider issue around big business being in bed with the government. Obviously (and rightly), the FOSS movement / community see this as a barrier to entry (it is!), and this is then also compounded by FUD around FOSS use, generated by the vast sums of money the large companies can throw at it and the huge discounts they can offer on proprietary solutions (education anyone?) This is ultimately aimed at 'locking' parts of govt / public sector IT infrastructure into a specific solution. The vast sums of money available for support and maintenance contracts makes the public sector a very attractive market for big business, and they seem very well at keeping that market to themselves. Having worked in FOSS within both the public and voluntary sectors, I can honestly say the community and voluntary sector is very different. People in the sector like to be individuals and make their own choices, much like FOSS users (inc me!). There is a strong ethical vibe, and FOSS strikes a chord in that respect. Remember, many of the people within the sector are there because they care about something, not simply to just pick up a monthly pay-check and re-sign the contract forms every three years. There is also limited funds in the sector, and as such, people are very, very interested in the potential cost benefits of FOSS. Buy-in from the LUGS will help make this happen in our opinion. Myself and Matthew are based in Manchester (at the National Computing Centre), however we have a national remit and will be travelling around the country providing training and seminars over the next few months, so we will be in your area no doubt at some stage. We'd be very interested in a meeting. Thanks, Mark -- .~. Mark Brier (www.OpenITUp.org) / v \ mark AT openitup DOT org / lists AT openitup DOT org /( _ )\ PubKey - http://www.openitup.org/keys/markatopenitup.asc ^ ^ +44 (0)161 2422132 / +44 (0)7793 036840 _______________________________________________ Peterboro mailing list [email protected] https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/peterboro
