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Open Source in Government. What is Open Source? Why should the Government use it? What can you do to help?. What is Source Code?. What Programmers Write Special language, resembles English + Math Converted into installable program. What is Open Source?.
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Open Source in Government • What is Open Source? • Why should the Government use it? • What can you do to help?
What is Source Code? • What Programmers Write • Special language, resembles English + Math • Converted into installable program
What is Open Source? • Software whose source code is freely available • Any programmer can • Download it • Examine how it works • Change their copy • Make their changes available
Why Open Source in Government? • Cost • Compatibility • Security
Cost • Free of charge • Still high-quality • Chosen by world governments because of lower overall cost • Peru • Brazil • Germany • China
Compatibility • Documents must live for hundreds of years • Company closure, software upgrades threaten future compatibility • If you have the source, you have a chance!
Security • Linux more secure than Windowstheregister.co.uk • ”Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow” Eric S. Raymond, ”The Cathedral & The Bazzar”
Diebold • AccuVote-TS • ”Malicious software can modify all of the records […] examination of these records will find nothing amiss”Feldman, Halderman, and Felten
What can I do? • Write to your representatives • Donate to OSI opensource.org • Donate to EFF eff.org • Talk about it!