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Software development as civic service

Avatar for Ben Balter Ben Balter
October 23, 2014
Technology
3
370

Software development as civic service

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

Avatar for Ben Balter

Ben Balter

October 23, 2014
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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 [email protected]

  2. ! Where we are How we got there Why we

    shouldn’t be there What you can do to help get us out

  3. ! Where we are (everything you don’t want to know

    about how government works)

  4. ! People | Process | Product

  5. ! People

  6. The way we approach technology

  7. The way (some) agencies approach technology

  8. Agency workflow Policy Executive Program manager COTR CO OGC Project

    Manager Developers Designers Compliance Sales (subcontractors) CISO SAOP 508 Government Contractor

  9. ! What’s missing?

  10. Open Source workflow User need Developer Designer UX Ship

  11. ! Process

  12. Open Source tools Version Control Git Project Management GitHub, Pivotal

    Tracker, etc. Methodology Lean/Agile Deliverable Repository

  13. Government tools Version Control Email Project Management Email Methodology Just

    get it done Deliverable CD-ROM (in triplicate)
  14. None

  15. ! Product

  16. Open source technologies OS Linux Server Apache Database MySQL Language

    PHP Framework WordPress/Drupal

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

    Framework Umbraco

  18. “Enterprise-grade solutions”

  19. ! Less technical expertise Less user focus Less tooling

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

    use open source)

  21. ! Platform | Publishing | Procurement

  22. ! Using open source platforms

  23. F.U.D

  24. Government-specific requirements

  25. Dedicated Sales Teams

  26. Reinventing the wheel

  27. ! Publishing open source code

  28. Workflow

  29. Risk-averse culture

  30. Command and Control culture

  31. Transparency as a Liability

  32. ! Procuring open source resources

  33. None
  34. None
  35. None

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

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

    habit

  38. ! Why we shouldn’t be there (or what government can

    learn from open source)

  39. ! Source | Data | Government

  40. ! Open source (code)

  41. None
  42. None
  43. None
  44. None
  45. None
  46. None

  47. ! Open Data

  48. None
  49. None
  50. None

  51. ! Open Government

  52. None
  53. None
  54. None

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

  56. None
  57. None
  58. None

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

    law

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

    you hate freedom)
  61. None

  62. ! People | Process | Product

  63. ! Product

  64. Open source hobbyists

  65. Open source suits

  66. ! Process

  67. Trolls Open source

  68. Open source welcome

  69. Open source hand holding

  70. ! People

  71. Open source Education

  72. Closed source as a political liability

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

  74. Where we are

  75. How we got there

  76. Why we don’t want to be there

  77. What you can do to help

  78. What you can do to help

  79. What you can do to help

  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 [email protected]