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MITRE Corp. Report On Open Source In Government

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the who's-using-what-where-why dept.

Jeremy Allison (of the Samba team) writes "Very interesting paper just published by MITRE corporation. (In PDF - they've learned not to use Microsoft Word. :-). Highlights: 'The main conclusion of the article was that FOSS software plays a more critical role in the DoD than has generally been recognised.'; 'Create a "Generally Recognised as Safe" FOSS list ... including Linux, OpenBSD, NetBSD, FreeBSD, Samba, Apache, Perl, GCC, GNAT, XFree86, OpenSSH, bind, and sendmail.' 'FOSS' stands for 'Free and Open-Source Software.' Looks like these people 'get it.'"

12 of 279 comments (clear)

  1. Rock on. by LoudMusic · · Score: 3, Funny

    Nice to see some of our tax dollars not going to waste on over-priced under-powered software.

    I suppose this means there will be more job openings for geeks in government possisions. Get out your resumes guys and gals ...

    --
    No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
    1. Re:Rock on. by Sivar · · Score: 4, Funny

      You may not want to work for the government in anything technical. Sure, you may get to play with some neat toys, but after seeing so many Sun Enterprise systems used as office mail servers -- sitting alongside NT database servers equipped with 64MB RAM, one tends to go insane. :)

      --
      Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. --E. W. Dijkstra
    2. Re:Rock on. by SN74S181 · · Score: 2, Funny

      There's always been plenty of government work for an ambitious and well trained geek.

      I think you meant to type 'an ambitious and thoroughly wallpapered credential-whore.'

  2. Wait...another term? by Rhinobird · · Score: 5, Funny

    Isn't anybody gonna mention that RMS is going to say that FOSS should really be reffered to as Dental/FOSS?

    --
    If Mr. Edison had thought smarter he wouldn't sweat as much. --Nikola Tesla
  3. Re:About time. by Shalome · · Score: 3, Funny

    quoth the poster:
    I mean, to the average Joe, the advantages of FOSS are obvious.
    Don't you mean "to the average Slashdot poster"? When I think of the average Joe, I think of my father, who believes that my computer must be turned on for him to send me e-mail from his computer. That, and that Prodigy is the greatest thing on the planet...

    Yeah, I know, I'm nitpicking...

    --
    Moderation totals that amuse me for one of my posts: Flamebait=1, Insightful=2, Funny=2, Overrated=1, Underrated=1
  4. A funny bit by Vireo · · Score: 5, Funny

    In page 22:

    [i]Ironically, a thoroughly rigorous and systematic ban on DoD use of FOSS could also affect a number of proprietary product that rely on FOSS products that permit incorporation of FOSS into their closed-source products. For example, Microsoft Office uses the FOSS zlib collection of data compression software, and thus could technically be banned as a product that incorporates FOSS software.[/i]

  5. Re:I work for the DoD.. open source rules! by Sivar · · Score: 3, Funny

    A DoD guy talking about his knowledgeable co-workers advocating OSS, being powered by coffee and Dew, and whose signature links to a web page whose largest graphic is a Southpark character...

    Is this some other Department of Defense that I was not previously aware of?

    --
    Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. --E. W. Dijkstra
  6. Re:About time. by stefanlasiewski · · Score: 3, Funny

    No, maybe to the average slashdot.org/~joe the advantages are obvious

    Hmmm... if Joe knows that FOSS exists, he sure ain't admitting to it!

    http://slashdot.org/~joe

    joe has posted 0 comments.     ... And userid 369. All that time and no comments... :)

    --
    "Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
  7. Re:PDF? by zulux · · Score: 3, Funny

    whatever happened to good old ASCII or ISO text files? nothing says cross-platform than an ISO format

    Oh sure, leave out us EBCDIC users, you young whipper-snappers with your fanch-schmancy ISO standards. HA! ...I'll just go back to my Forth system and cry.

    --

    Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  8. price for this report... by u19925 · · Score: 3, Funny
    The BSA has asked MITRE to conduct internal software audit or pay 10 Million dollars.

    The DoD has been asked to conduct internal software audit or trash MITRE report on FOSS.

  9. Re:What the DoD is and isn't by Black+Copter+Control · · Score: 4, Funny
    Especially under NMCI(Navy Marine Corps Intranet), Linux is not even listed as an approved legacy system, much less something EDS will agree to support.

    I guess this means that if I want to mount a pirate attack on the DOD, I should make the Marines my beachhead?

    Sir! The enemy is sighted, and they are using ISS!
    Arrgh! Prepare to board them, and take no prisoners!
    --
    OS Software is like love: The best way to make it grow is to give it away.
  10. Re:Generally Recognised as Safe. by Fweeky · · Score: 3, Funny
    Yet Qmail, djbdns, and Postfix--some of the most secure software ever made, is strangely absent.

    Did you ommit exim because you:
    • Don't know it?
    • Forgot about it?
    • Don't like it?
    • Think it's insecure?
    • Think CoyboyNeal wouldn't approve?