[Linux-aus] Fwd: [A2k] bbc: Tories want open source whitehall

[Paul Wayper]

Jeff Waugh wrote:
> Encourage them to do what a lot of very clueful corporates have done: Invest
> in the future of the software you use (but, unlike proprietary software, you
> can invest in a way that directly benefits you).
>   
This can also happen because they need to do modifications to GPL and
similarly 'share-alike' licensed software.  If they need some special
formulas for OpenOffice, or some special extra doohickey on ekiga to
allow them to share ministerial notes, then that can be put back into
the community.

Of course, working with them to make a contribution to the open source
community is a good thing.  And paying for support to Canonical will
also help the whole process.  I imagine the process of getting some
useful contribution (in money or kind) from organisations and
governments using FOSS is already fairly well mapped out in Canonical,
Red Hat, Novell et al.

Have fun,

Paul