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Subject: Re: [egov-bestpractice] OASIS E-GOV TC : BEST PRACTICE SC CHARTER
Jon Bosak wrote: > > This issue, at least, can and should be addressed simply > through a statement of the reasons that governments > should, wherever possible, avoid the use of proprietary > software, beginning with the security reasons. This is an interesting point since there seem to be some opposing views regarding open source and security [1]. Open source initiatives may reveal unsafe coding practices to unscrupulous developers. While "security through obscurity" is not necessarily the best idea, it effectively screens out most of the script kiddies and less experienced developers. (Before I get flamed, please know that I believe open source has provided significant benefits to the developer community - I use several tools from both GNU and Apache). I believe the main reasons for adopting an open source policy are the expectations of lower acquisition and ownership costs (although some ownership costs may be impacted by a tendency to tweak the code). Most shops are not going to have the bandwidth, interest or budget for reviewing, recompiling or otherwise maintaining the code for open source apps and operating systems. I'm not entirely sure if we should be advocating open source for security reasons. [1] http://www.aberdeen.com/ab_abstracts/2002/11/11020005.htm (Free abstract, registration required to access the full report.) John Evdemon Senior Associate Digital Strategies Booz | Allen | Hamilton
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