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Per my usual commentary...<BR>
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On Mon, 2016-02-01 at 09:09 -0800, Brent Turner wrote:
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What is an open source voting system?
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An open source voting system is a voting system consisting of open source software running on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS, aka “commodity”) hardware.<BR>
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An open source voting system is a voting system consisting of software distributed under an OSI Approved Open Source License on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS, aka “commodity”) hardware.<BR>
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What is open source software?
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Open source software is software distributed under an OSI Approved Open Source License that is free for anyone to inspect, use, and improve. software is public and non-commercial <BR>
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[Open source software can be commercial. Both the OSI and FSF highlight the commercial viability/desirability of Free and Open Source Software Perhaps a better term than "commercial" is "proprietary"]. <BR>
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The Linux operating system and the Chrome and Firefox browsers are three well-known examples of open source software. Open source software is widely used by successful technology companies large and small.<BR>
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What are some advantages of open source?<BR>
Open source is more affordable, more flexible, and 100% transparent. There are no licensing fees. San Francisco would be free to improve its system without needing vendor permission. We could choose to work with anyone to service the technology without restriction.<BR>
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>From the OSI website: <BR>
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The promise of open source is <B>higher quality</B>, <B>better reliability</B>, <B>greater flexibility</B>, <B>lower cost</B>, and an <B>end to predatory vendor lock-in</B>.<BR>
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The open source model has a lot to offer the business world: both as consumers and contributors. While the most frequently cited benefit is <B>lower total cost of ownership</B>, many other benefits exist that enhance a businesses' return on any open source software investment.<BR>
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Participating in open source projects and communities is a way to build <B>open standards</B> as actual software, rather than paper documents. It's a way for companies and individuals to <B>collaborate</B> around shared needs on a product that none of them could achieve alone or, in and of itself, does not constitute a key business differentiator. It's a better development model where <B>bug-fixes</B> and <B>new features</B> identified by your customers are done <B>more quickly</B> and with <B>higher quality</B>, yielding <B>increased reliability</B>..<BR>
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The open source model also enables <B>increased security</B>; because code is in the public view it will be exposed to extreme scrutiny, with problems being found and fixed instead of being kept secret until the wrong person discovers them. And last but not least, it's a way that the little guys can get together, <B>innovate</B> and have a good chance at beating a monopoly.
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