Balu, I like your direct comments about the benefits of FOSS. Thanks for sharing.
On Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 12:38 PM, Balu Raman <[email protected]> wrote: > 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 > -- Chad Avery Montpelier Open Source 802.224.6481 www.montpelieropensource.com
