Intriguing views from David Cameron have been spilling out of Central Office recently. He's been talking about scrapping the major IT infrastructure projects in the public sector, largely because they take too long, and are too expensive.
Instead he talks about opening up these projects using Linux, or other open source software, as a way to bring about "information liberation". He says that large centralised systems for the management of information don't work - closed IT systems lead to higher risks and costs - so he wants to follow private sector best practice and open up the source code to all.
This is, though it pains me to say it, innovative. What Cameron fails to explain is how this would work in a structure like the NHS where much of the programming activity would have to conform to rigorous standards around confidentiality. But it is bold, and it shows a grip on the different approaches to programming that are out there. As I've mentioned before Labour is making valiant efforts to catch up on this agenda, but Cameron has been fleet of foot and that is worrying.
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Hi Simon. Thought you might like to see how George Osborne envisaged an Open Source government when he announced their ideas last March: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03/09/uk_conservatives_applaud_open_source/
It would be great, but I can't really see it happening. I'm sure the software lobby would have something to say about it for one thing.
Hello Simon
Thanks for your comment. I hadn't clocked that - really interesting, particularly that this debate is even being had internally.
This all feels a bit like the early days of IT in government, when civil servants bought into industry delivery promises like lambs to the slaughter...
It sounds great I agree - amazing that the Tories have already got experts in the camp.
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