Slashdot Mirror


Obama Administration Supports Recycling Code and Open Source

jones_supa writes: The Obama administration is seeking public comments on its open source policy. They have released for public comment a draft Federal Source Code policy to support improved access to custom software code. From the policy document: "This policy requires that, among other things: (1) new custom code whose development is paid for by the Federal Government be made available for reuse across Federal agencies; and (2) a portion of that new custom code be released to the public as Open Source Software (OSS)." Tony Scott, Federal CIO of the US government, mentioned one of the strengths of open source – cost saving. Scott wrote on the White House blog that the U.S. government "can save taxpayer dollars by avoiding duplicative custom software purchases and promote innovation and collaboration across Federal agencies."

19 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Obama administration supports backdoors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... which means that, by definition, it cannot support open source software.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03...

    1. Re:Obama administration supports backdoors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'm not sure where you are getting your definition from, but as long as the backdoor is open source, I don't see any conflict here.

    2. Re:Obama administration supports backdoors by Dragonslicer · · Score: 2

      While Obama's proposal sounds good, it is actually a step in the wrong direction. Under current policy, much government source code is automatically in the public domain. So if this proposal uses any other OSS license, it will mean more restrictions, not fewer.

      The difference with releasing government source code under a GPL-like license, instead of public domain or a BSD-like license, is that it would prevent private entities from taking that source code and using it in a closed-source product. Whether that's an advantage or a disadvantage is a matter of personal opinion; I think there are reasonable arguments either way.

  2. Yes, especially when it comes to encryption by vvaduva · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yes, they support recycling code...old code..related to encryption.

  3. im sure the dinner tables a mess at the whitehouse by nimbius · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sasha: Im all done with my loop, can I return to main()?
    Barack: Now, sasha, what did i say about recycling code? check with Malia and see if you can use data from her constructor instead?
    Malia: My constructor doesnt handle 32 bit integers, only 64. Sasha wont redo her booleans.
    Michelle Barack: And for god sake use a pointer. we're not made of address space you know...
    Sasha: Im dereferencing on line 14 dad! god! Malias stupid library doesnt support returning a linked list i think...
    Barack: now --let me be clear here-- this, and i mean this code, isnt going to compile in Borland young ladies...
    daughters: OMG DAD this compiles FINE in GCC!
    Michelle: have you kids been hanging around uncle Richard and his GNU friends again...

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
  4. Lame duck President wants to be the hero now by NotDrWho · · Score: 2

    Hooray?

    --
    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  5. Re:How about H-1B visas? by NotDrWho · · Score: 2

    They're very tech *CEO* friendly, however. The Obama Administration supports giving them all the H1B's they want and are quite happy to help them artificially drive down all tech salaries as a result.

    --
    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  6. In related news... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Donald Trump has announced that he's going to make Open Source great again by putting the "SS" back in "OSS".

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:In related news... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

      Do you and your fellow President Trump denigrators realize that...

      "...not many people know it, but the Fuhrer was a terrific dancer. And he could paint an entire apartment in one afternoon...TWO COATS!"

      https://classicmovienight.file...

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  7. Re:Reuse across Federal agencies by tomhath · · Score: 2

    No. This proposal is already what federal law requires. But it's an election year so they are saying whatever will get votes.

  8. Re:How about H-1B visas? by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 2

    I think we need to start granting H-1Bs for politicians. We don't seem to have enough politicians with the right skills.

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  9. What about other IP? by rayzat · · Score: 2

    The Federal government pays a lot of money for research and development in a lot of areas, architecture, bridges, roads, jet engines, custom ASICs, etc etc. I used to design custom racks, brackets, conduit routing, power/heating/cooling systems for electronics. Think Humvees with quarter racks to a full mobile data center. It eventually got to the point where we were only doing something new/innovative every 3rd or 4th deal. Every other deal was use the bracket designed for A, the rack from B, the generator from C, etc. If we had to release those cad drawings we would have had no competitive edge. If they're saying code should be reusable across agencies and parts should be made open, when stop just at software?

  10. Mod parent up? by Crowd+Computing · · Score: 2

    They see the opposition that President Trump is receiving, and they see the source of this opposition. And they start to think that President Trump is right, and that he's needed more now than ever before. His support continues to grow and grow, all thanks to those who are trying to oppose him!

    By this logic, if I modded you down, I'd mod you up.

  11. Just great! by PPH · · Score: 3, Funny

    Another bin I have to haul out to the curbside every week. Worse yet, they'll make us sort it first. Perl goes in the green one, C++ in the blue (please remove and discard templates first), VB goes in with the compost.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  12. Re:The BSD and MIT licenses are the only real opti by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sometimes, "freedom" has to include the freedom to be a douchebag.

    Not "sometimes". Always. It's not freedom otherwise.

  13. Re:The BSD and MIT licenses are the only real opti by HornyBastard · · Score: 4, Informative

    There's no justifiable reason to disallow the distribution of binaries built from modified source code.

    My code. My rules. That is all the justification I need.
    If you don't like my rules, don't use my code.

    Disallowing that isn't promoting freedom; it's eliminating freedom.

    The GPL is about the freedom of the code.
    with the BSD/MIT/whatever licenses the code is more Free to start with. The GPL makes sure that the code stays Free.
    If you don't like the GPL, don't use it.
    You just have to understand that different types of people appreciate different types of freedom.

    --
    Death has been proven to be 99% fatal in lab rats.
  14. What? by Etherwalk · · Score: 2

    ... which means that, by definition, it cannot support open source software.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03...

    +4 Insightful? Look, government's position on backdoors is fundamentally wrong, as almost everyone who works in tech knows and almost nobody who works outside of tech understands or cares about. But that debate has nothing to do with open source.

    The United States Government is the biggest purchaser on the planet, and we pay their bills. If they want to recycle code across their organization to save us money, great. If they want to open-source their unclassified software, great.

  15. Re:The BSD and MIT licenses are the only real opti by Bert64 · · Score: 2

    If you provide absolute freedom, then you also provide the freedom for some to take away freedoms from others. Releasing binaries without source is just such an act, you are using source which you had the freedom to receive and modify, but you are not extending that same level of freedom to others.

    The GPL aims to ensure equality for everyone, which requires to impose an equal set of limits on everyone to avoid a select few from imposing their own set of limits on everyone else. Society works much the same way, you are free to do quite a lot but when it comes to things which harm others there are various laws to stop you.

    --
    http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
  16. Re:The BSD and MIT licenses are the only real opti by shaitand · · Score: 2

    "We're talking about open source software here, however. That means relinquishing control over how other people use the code."

    No, that wouldn't be open source software. That would be public domain software.

    "your intent is to control others (that is, to remove their freedom to act as they choose)."

    Not at all, others are perfectly free to act as they choose. But my labor and efforts are not free, time is the one truly limited resource humanity has and the only freedom you are granted with a BSD/MIT license vs the GPL is the freedom to save yours at the expense of mine while selfishly refusing to pass that benefit along.