Software development as civic service

Why the government doesn’t use open source
(and why we need your help to change that)

Transcript

1. !
   Software development
   as civic service
   Why the government doesn’t use open source
   (and why we need your help to change that)
   Ben Balter
   government.github.com
   government@github.com
   

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2. !
   Where we are
   How we got there
   Why we shouldn’t be there
   What you can do to help get us out
   

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3. !
   Where we are
   (everything you don’t want to know about how government works)
   

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4. !
   People | Process | Product
   

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5. !
   People
   

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6. The way we approach technology
   

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7. The way (some) agencies
   approach technology
   

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8. Agency workflow
   Policy
   Executive Program manager
   COTR
   CO OGC
   Project Manager
   Developers
   Designers
   Compliance
   Sales
   (subcontractors)
   CISO
   SAOP
   508
   Government
   Contractor
   

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9. !
   What’s missing?
   

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10. Open Source workflow
    User
    need
    Developer
    Designer
    UX
    Ship
    

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11. !
    Process
    

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12. Open Source tools
    Version Control Git
    Project Management GitHub, Pivotal Tracker, etc.
    Methodology Lean/Agile
    Deliverable Repository
    

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13. Government tools
    Version Control Email
    Project Management Email
    Methodology Just get it done
    Deliverable CD-ROM (in triplicate)
    

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15. !
    Product
    

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16. Open source technologies
    OS Linux
    Server Apache
    Database MySQL
    Language PHP
    Framework WordPress/Drupal
    

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17. Government technologies
    OS Windows
    Server IIS
    Database MSSQL
    Language ASP.net
    Framework Umbraco
    

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18. “Enterprise-grade solutions”
    

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19. !
    Less technical expertise
    Less user focus
    Less tooling
    

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20. !
    How we got there
    (a.k.a why doesn’t the government use open source)
    

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21. !
    Platform | Publishing | Procurement
    

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22. !
    Using open source platforms
    

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23. F.U.D
    

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24. Government-specific requirements
    

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25. Dedicated Sales Teams
    

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26. Reinventing the wheel
    

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27. !
    Publishing open source code
    

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28. Workflow
    

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29. Risk-averse culture
    

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30. Command and Control culture
    

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31. Transparency as a Liability
    

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32. !
    Procuring open source resources
    

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36. !
    “Why change now?
    It’s worked for three decades!”
    

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37. !
    Closed source platform
    Uphill battle to publish
    Procurement by habit
    

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38. !
    Why we shouldn’t be there
    (or what government can learn from open source)
    

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39. !
    Source | Data | Government
    

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40. !
    Open source (code)
    

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47. !
    Open Data
    

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51. !
    Open Government
    

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55. !
    These are the exception
    not the rule.
    (for now)
    

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59. !
    Take open source workflows
    Apply them to code, data, law
    

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60. !
    What you can do to help
    (unless, of course, you hate freedom)
    

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62. !
    People | Process | Product
    

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63. !
    Product
    

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64. Open source hobbyists
    

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65. Open source suits
    

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66. !
    Process
    

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67. Trolls
    Open source
    

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68. Open source welcome
    

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69. Open source hand holding
    

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70. !
    People
    

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71. Open source Education
    

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72. Closed source as a political liability
    

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73. !
    Serious products
    Low-risk processes
    People who get it
    

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74. Where we are
    

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75. How we got there
    

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76. Why we don’t want to be there
    

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77. What you can do to help
    

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78. What you can do to help
    

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79. What you can do to help
    

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80. !
    Software development
    as civic service
    Why the government doesn’t use open source
    (and why we need your help to change that)
    Ben Balter
    government.github.com
    government@github.com
    

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