FYI. This may be of interest to Vaguers. My apologies if you are already aware of this - balu
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jane Kitchel <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:12:33 -0500 Subject: RE: Response to your inquiry To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Good Morning, Sorry for the delay in responding, but I wanted to talk with Tom Murrary, Commissioner and CIO for Vermont's Department of Information and Innovation. I saw Tom several days ago and he told me that currently there are a number of open source projects within the state's IT system. He would be more than willing to talk to you about what has been done to utilize this option and where there is further potential. His number is 828-4141 and his e-mail address is: [email protected] Thank you for your interest and willingness to assist in these efforts. Jane Kitchel > Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 15:53:08 -0500> From: [email protected]> To: > [email protected]> Subject: Re: Response to your inquiry> > Hello,> Thanks > for your response.> There was a legislation passed/pending in California that > talked about> giving top consideration to Open Source in all IT projects > supported> by public funds. If you are interested , I can spend some time> > researching the status of that legislation.> > If you have any questions on > Open Source in general, I can help answer> them to the best of my abilities.> > > Regards,> balu raman> > ps: I live in Sen. Bartlett's county. Unfortunately > the emails to her> address seem to get bounced.> > On 11/5/08, Jane Kitchel > <[email protected]> wrote:> >> >> > Good Afternoon,> >> > I did read the > response from Hans and I have also discussed this issue with> > Jim Hester > who is the Director of the Health Care Reform Commission. I> > certainly > understand from your e-mail that you still have significant> > disagreements > with the decisions around Open Source options. For me, it is> > important > that a thorough analysis be given to every viable option; however,> > it has > been my experience that there are at times healthy differences of> > opinion. > Sen. Bartlett and I are actively involved in monitoring the IT> > initiative > and will be giving ongoing attention to the progress being made> > by VITL > and the issues that emerge.> >> > Jane Kitchel> >> >> Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2008 > 08:03:31 -0500> From: [email protected]> To:> >> [email protected]> > Subject: Re: Response to your inquiry> CC:> >> [email protected]; > [email protected]; [email protected]> >> >> Hello Folks,> Hope > you have read Hans' response.> Here are a few points I> >> would like to > mention, to my legislators.> > 1) I found this response> >> defensive, and > there has been some background> discussions between the> >> hired consultant > and Farnam of VITL> > 2) There is enough evidence that> >> VITL and their > consultants were> totally ignorant of Open Source and> >> statements that > they did consider> Open Source are just not true.Contrary> >> to their > thinking, there are> enough vendors supporting FOSS in> >> physician's > offices. I don't know> how many are in Vermont, but it's not> >> relevant > that they be in> Vermont.> > 3) Open Source environment is a new> >> > paradigm, and the traditional> structures like, number of years in> >> > business, experience, customer> support etc do not apply. Besides, freedom> > >> to look at the source code,> no vendor lock-ins, highly reliable and> >> > secure systems are the side> effects of the open nature. Writing software> >> > is a highly creative task> and ridden with bugs, which become latent at> >> > unforeseen times, and the> only way they get fixed is by exposing its> >> > weakness, and a million> eyes to watch these bugs and fix these bugs,> >> > instead of a corporation> playing hide and seek with customers.> > 4) Who> >> > would have thought that an Operating System ( linux) written by> one> >> > undergraduate in Finland is competing against Microsoft and IBM ?> The> >> > phenomenon that's playing here is the openness.> > 5) Hans and the VITL> >> > crew keep mentioning that I am one lonely guy> doing my own thing,> >> > supporting one practice. The fact is that I> support this medical> >> > practice, as a part-time task, and I am active in> the Open Source> >> > community and I operate as a consultant who only gets> involved in> >> > developing and supporting FOSS systems, not because it's> free, but> >> > because of its high reliability and better support and help> from the Open> > >> Source community.> > I hope, you legislators would learn about FOSS> >> > systems and their> values in these hard economic times. Just hiring> >> > consultants, from big> places ( like Washington, DC ) doesn't cut it. They> > >> are all ridden> with conflicts of interests. Somehow, I feel an Open> >> > Source paradigm> would fix this, and get the most bang and freedom for the> > >> buck.> > Good luck with getting re-elected.> > Thanks for your time.> >> > >> Sincerely,> Balu Raman, MSEE.,CCP> > > _________________________________________________________________> > Stay up > to date on your PC, the Web, and your mobile phone with Windows Live> > > http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/119462413/direct/01/ _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_allup_howitworks_012009
