Is Open Source Software The Answer to Oregon’s IT Problems?

Contributed By:

Dave Miller

OPB | March 11, 2014 12:06 p.m. | Updated: March 11, 2014 1:39 p.m.

When Oregons new Chief Information Officer, Alex Pettit,was on our show recently, we asked him what stood out from his move from Oklahoma to the northwest. He said there were some expected cultural differences, but that in terms of IT he was caught bysurprise:

I was surprised that things like open source wasnt as bigin government as it is in the East Coast, or in Oklahoma, where I was. I was surprised that transparency wasnt a bigger issue. Its certainly a big issue in Oklahoma, and its less sohere.

This was striking because Oregon is known for its open source community at Oregon States Open Source Lab, at the annual OSCON Conference, and among many programmers. And his comments came right before an Oregonian op-ed argued that open source software could have prevented the Cover Oregonfiasco.

So weve decided to follow up on Pettits comments. Well be joined by an outspoken proponent of public sector open sourcesoftware.

Whats your experience with the open source world? And what could it do forgovernment?

GUEST:

Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust

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Is Open Source Software The Answer to Oregon's IT Problems?