Tangent, out-of-the-box and more 'LTS' solution:
What if the entire machinery known as "State" (govs, senates & assemblies, justice, agencies) realized that the logical long-term choice is to develop and maintain open-source software for pretty much anything they do, so as to effectively 1. enrich the 'national' or 'regional' wealth of all citizens and 2. contribute to technology in a historical way?
Nuance: I'd qualify the whole endeavor a 'mildly massive untertaking', it's not a switch but a decade-long effort. Bigger than the longest of usual "LTS". But the benefits, in terms of saved money (lower taxes?), quality of service (if any citizen can participate, whether as programmer or writer or evangelist or trainer or whatever), security (I'd wager there'd be enough eyeballs to proof this software), and probably 50 other externalities, like massive general training / jobs, better technical expertise of many state workers at every level, possible service to citizens (switching them off the customer status in some domains critical to democracy, especially when it's free thus they are the product), yadi yada.
The State could be an excellent digital host for itself, and a great steward for its population, if it addressed the technological matter in a professional way, with the right heart and the right mind.
If executed superbly, it could qualify as some "8th wonder", the first digital and truly collective one, to ever be built. A true hallmark of the 21st century. And we can all, all of us worldwide, participate to make a master; then proceed to fork based on our local systems —political and technical— and cultural preferences.
I hope I do not have to explain why I'm a little jaded, a feeling of too much deja vu and not enough 'tomorrow', when I read such ethical yet misguided fights. /understanding rant
EU, you have your heart in the right place, your ethics are fair and much needed in this world, but at our current pace your solutions seem ancient —so 20th century. Think 2030+ now and begin building long-term, towards a definitive solution. Move the needle, redefine things, fail/break the old stuff to make room for contemporary greatness. OSS for public software is a low hanging fruit, however giant, and you'll do the world a fantastic service worthy of your wealth and values.
Source of ideas: I am a concerned French citizen, and being born some 10,000 km away gave me a wider-than-Western-EU perspective of modernity, for some 37 years and counting.
What if the entire machinery known as "State" (govs, senates & assemblies, justice, agencies) realized that the logical long-term choice is to develop and maintain open-source software for pretty much anything they do, so as to effectively 1. enrich the 'national' or 'regional' wealth of all citizens and 2. contribute to technology in a historical way?
Nuance: I'd qualify the whole endeavor a 'mildly massive untertaking', it's not a switch but a decade-long effort. Bigger than the longest of usual "LTS". But the benefits, in terms of saved money (lower taxes?), quality of service (if any citizen can participate, whether as programmer or writer or evangelist or trainer or whatever), security (I'd wager there'd be enough eyeballs to proof this software), and probably 50 other externalities, like massive general training / jobs, better technical expertise of many state workers at every level, possible service to citizens (switching them off the customer status in some domains critical to democracy, especially when it's free thus they are the product), yadi yada.
The State could be an excellent digital host for itself, and a great steward for its population, if it addressed the technological matter in a professional way, with the right heart and the right mind.
If executed superbly, it could qualify as some "8th wonder", the first digital and truly collective one, to ever be built. A true hallmark of the 21st century. And we can all, all of us worldwide, participate to make a master; then proceed to fork based on our local systems —political and technical— and cultural preferences.
I hope I do not have to explain why I'm a little jaded, a feeling of too much deja vu and not enough 'tomorrow', when I read such ethical yet misguided fights. /understanding rant
EU, you have your heart in the right place, your ethics are fair and much needed in this world, but at our current pace your solutions seem ancient —so 20th century. Think 2030+ now and begin building long-term, towards a definitive solution. Move the needle, redefine things, fail/break the old stuff to make room for contemporary greatness. OSS for public software is a low hanging fruit, however giant, and you'll do the world a fantastic service worthy of your wealth and values.
Source of ideas: I am a concerned French citizen, and being born some 10,000 km away gave me a wider-than-Western-EU perspective of modernity, for some 37 years and counting.