Re: [SLUG] Re: Strawpoll on Roles in the Governance of ICT

[david.lyon@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Yes hi Marghanita,

Well the 2020 conference was a big surprise to me... actually asking  
australian young people what they want..... jeeze ... did that catch  
me off guard... :-)

If I am not mistaken we've never had this level of democracy in this  
country ever ...

My reading of your link leaves me a bit unclear as to what you wish to  
achieve.

Not sure if you know but in the NSW Department of Commerce there is a  
section known as GCIO, Government Chief Information Office. They are  
charged with making recommendations of technology to various NSW  
Departments.

I know when I worked there, their PCs were so locked down, that all  
they were really good for was a web-browser and an email client.  
Something that linux could do just as well.

Unfortunately, there was a big bias against local companies and  
products when I was there.

I think the people in our Government really enjoy a trip off to  
Britain or Germany or the United States to buy stuff. Especially when  
they don't need to declare any of the wining and dining that they  
receive to icac. :-) "No - received nothing - i just went out with  
friends". Yeah - right.

In other countries, Government people work more closely with their  
local industry to develop core products that will advance everybodies  
cause.

There are enough companies and enough people associated through the  
Sydney Linux User Group to push for change within our local Government.

Moving some Linux development to young people in Universities is the  
kind of thing that you find in Germany and the United States. One  
would hope that places such as the Department of Commerce would try to  
facilitate that but they are not quite up to it - yet.

Like I said, Government requirements for computing operating systems  
are not that big. A browser, file manager and an email client, and  
some other things would certainly do it.

The real cost is what to do with the left over Australian public  
servants who will lose their free wine-dine and girly-bar passes in  
washington, san-Fransisco and London.

And chears to Kevin Rudd.. who actually trained in China... was busted  
at a girly bar on the west coast a few years ago... . The twist - so  
unusual for australian politicians is that when they tried to  
blackmail him to get his life loyalty (essential for any up coming  
leader of the australian public service) - Kevin just left them in his  
smoke...

After that.... he was able to come back to Australia and actually ask  
what is in the interests of Australian young people.... amazing really..

That we finally have a mature prime-minister and not a totally  
corrupted stooge is an amazing accomplishment... Whilst maybe not  
perfect.. it's a big step..

The truth is that if enough people lobbied Government in Australia..  
from a Linux perspective... a lot more should be possible...

Anyway... I head back to Germany in a few days... and observe the way  
they do things and get more reports on what our wayward public  
servants are up to in europe on their fact finding and purchasing  
missions....


David
















Quoting Marghanita da Cruz <marghanita@xxxxxxxxxxxx>:

> Results are here:
> <http://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/straw-poll-ICT-roles-responsibilities.shtml>
>
> further comments welcome.
>
> Marghanita
>
> david.lyon@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote: