Australian Government Agency Moves Towards Linux

An anonymous reader writes "ZDNet Australia is reporting that Centrelink, the Australian government agency responsible for distributing social security payments, is investigating Novell's Open Enterprise Server as a method of consolidating huge chunks of its network. Centrelink's national manager is quoted as saying: "We have to look at remote access, virus protection, security. Linux has those capabilities but we have to assure our more senior executives that these boxes have the same level of security and protection as the commercial products""

Comments

Hello, Microsoft?

[lpontiac]

I'd like a discount on my Windows licenses please!

Re:Hello, Microsoft?

[imroy]

Yes they do. And in the most wasteful mannner possible: brand-spanking-new Dells running WinXP with probably a pentium 4 under the hood. And then they run some terminal emulator to connect to a mainframe app. Now that's progress!

probably another "get M$ to lower it's price" ploy

[arfonrg]

I'm sure in the end, M$ will give them big price breaks ad they'll go with windoz.

Am I being to suspicious?

same level of security?

[Anonymous Coward]

... the same level of security and protection as the commercial products
Commercial products = Windows? No, we don't want Linux to have the same level of security and protection, do we?

Hope its for real

[gibbo2]

As an aussie, I'd love to see this happen, but lets hope its serious and not another "pretend" move to Linux to negotiate better prices with their existing vendors.

Normally "existing vendors" is Microsoft, but from the article it seems they're currently using a good non-MS mix of Novell, Lotus, SAP and Oracle on Solaris.

Pipe dream?

[cuteseal]

One of the reasons large corporations and enterprises are reluctant to go down the open source route is defintely vendor support... most are willing to fork out the cash to have the peace of mind that they can sue your ass if something goes wrong.

Re:Pipe dream?

[ajs318]

Yes, but if you read the MS EULA, it has a few things to say about Microsoft software:

• If it doesn't do what you were expecting, TOUGH TITTY.
• If it crashes, TOUGH TITTY.
• If it crashes and takes a day's work with it, TOUGH TITTY.
• If it has a gaping security hole, and some 5(r!p7 |<!|)|)!3 manages to wipe several terabytes of your entire customer database with a single malformed web query, TOUGH TITTY.
• If you use it to design a building, and the building falls down, TOUGH TITTY.
• If you use it to control a life support system, and it goes BSOD and kills the patient, TOUGH TITTY.

Spot the pattern, anyone?

At least with Open Source software, you can conduct an independent audit on the source code in order to determine its suitability for a particular application; such an audit can be performed by local programmers, thereby helping the local economy by creating jobs and raising tax revenue. Whereas with Microsoft, you only have the word of a convicted criminal for it that the software will do what you were expecting. And you are taking money out of the local economy to boot.

I just hope the Aussies have the balls to knock back whatever pathetic offer Microsoft are going to come up with to try to keep their bitches working for them. From the over-simplification in the article, it sounds like a no-brain job: just replace the Windows desktops {glorified dumb terminals} with Linux desktops {SSH and Telnet clients already built in}, the Novell file/print servers with Linux file/print servers, and {the hard bit} migrate from Oracle and SAP on Solaris to Postgres on Linux. Total licencing cost: upfront AUS$nil, thereafter annually AUS$nil, this quote valid until forever. The feasibility study and source audit are an upfront cost; but this could be offset by borrowing a sum of money and repaying it over an appropriate timescale using some of the money which would have been spent on Payware.

Novell not commercial?

[froh]

"...the same level of security and protection as the commercial products"

Novell is just as commercial as other vendors, when will they learn that GPL software is "Free as in freedom"? And many of the packages in Open Enterprise Server isn't more free than Netware used to be.

Anyone Remember?

[JohnnyKlunk]

Remember when Telstra (Australias largest telecoms provider) went to Linux. Then it turned out they were doing it just to get a discount from MS?
Hilarious. Wonder if this is the same. I can't imagine an australian government agency would use any software that doesn't contribute to the American Corporate machine. I'm sure that's illegal under John Howard.

I think M$ has proven...

[arfonrg]

I think M$ has proven that software companies are pretty much invunerable to any lawsuits due to defective products.

I mean, they have consistanly released defective products AND figured out how to force you to upgrade to the next defective product without fixing the first.

They are better than drug dealers!

Re:Bush

[BladeMelbourne]

Actually it's Mark Latham who is doing the whining but not the winning :-)

Latham obviously doesn't like Linux, he looks like an "in the closet" Mac user, but there is a chance he uses Windows.

Good to know my tax dollars are supporting Linux...

Glad they see the obvious

[xiando]

But keep in mind that the gain from switching to Linux comes first after a few year. Initially, teaching everyone involved Linux will be a cost equal to the cost of commercial software licenses. These costs will soon go away, and the Linux software will keep on working for years - free.

Re:Glad they see the obvious

[Neo-Rio-101]

Well if Centrelink is simply web-based, I seriously doubt that using Linux will require retraining. I would imagine that Novell will lock down the PCs to act as web terminals if that's all they are going to be used for.

As for the IT department... well, if they are a half decent lot, they should know all about Linux by now and not rest on their MCSE, MinesweeperChampionSolitaireExpert qualifications.

I don't think retraining will be a huge issue.

Translation

[pipingguy]

...we have to assure our more senior executives that these boxes have the same level of security and protection as the commercial products.

"They want to be still able to run funny executable downloads from their golf buddies and surf porn sites without being caught in potentially embarassing situations. We're working on easily enabling these things in Linux by enabling an 'I-didn't-do-it,-it-was-a-virus' button".

Re:Bush

[strider44]

Labours official policy is the adoption of open source products wherever possible (though that is I'm sure open to interpretation, it is still better than Liberal's policy)

Re:But

[passthecrackpipe]

well, no.. Novell Open Enterprise Server != Linux. It's primarily Netware, with bits of Linux thrown in. Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

Some choice quotes:
1. What is Novell Open Enterprise Server?
[...]Open Enterprise Server delivers some of the best technologies and services developed by the open source community, as well as fully developed proprietary services that routinely solve business problems for enterprise customers. (because only proprietary services can solve business problems for enterprise customers?)

5. What is happening to NetWare (and NetWare 7)?
NetWare is a critical component of IT infrastructures around the world serving millions of users. It will continue to be the platform of choice for many customers. The NetWare roadmap is converging with the best the Linux community has to offer, SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server, and together they will make up Novell Open Enterprise Server. NetWare is not gone, but continues on as an important part of this new product offering. As Ed Anderson, vice president of Platform Services at Novell said in the Future of NetWare article, "Let me state this as clearly as I can: Novell is making investments in both NetWare and Linux. Novell Open Enterprise Server is proof we are supporting both, and they will be combined into one package. This will continue until customers' needs change."

8. How will Novell Open Enterprise Server be licensed?
Novell Open Enterprise Server will be licensed on a per-user basis. (the last company to try and license linux on a per-user basis was Caldera, just before they became SCO)

Let me repeat - Novell OES is a *Netware* product, with bits of SLES9 thrown in. This is a *Netware* play. Linux is being used for marketing purposes, as well to ensure that real applications will actually work, since people stopped supporting Netware ages ago - in particular, look at FAQ number 22.

Givem 'em a break. -- they're human too.

[Stephen Samuel]

A friend of mine sells dental supplies. He made an anti-bacterial soap that was quite comparable to things like the Jergins soap that you buy for $5/pint, and he sold it for about $12/gallon.
Nobody would buy it.
When he took the jugs, relabeled them and tripled the price, it sold like hotcakes. He sighed all the way to the bank.

People make the mistake of presuming that price -> quality all over the place. We may buy the $3.00 loaf of bread at Safeway without even bothering to try the $1.50 loaf at the corner bakery. There is just so much stuff out there that we ignore simply because it hasn't been advertized on tv (or whatever your favorite media outlet).

Because we know and love Linux, we think that Execs are stupid to quesion it's value, but we skip other jewels in our lives because we don't know them and the packaging isn't as slick.

(( this includes both products and people )).

Don't discount them, and don't disparage them.. They're human just like us. They need to be taught. When they realize what they missed they'll kick themselves. If we kick them now, they'll just run away and never give us the chance to teach them.