Fwd: Re: Hello

[Stefan Champailler]

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Subject: Re: Hello
Date: Monday 22 October 2007 18:55
From: Stefan Champailler <schampailler at skynet.be>
To: nicolas.pettiaux at ael.be


> > Oh great. I'm currently trying to figure out what I could do to help "the 
cause" here at Smals.
> > But before doing anything, I check that there's no current effort at the 
moment.
> > So, my question is : is there any effort at Smals to promote free 
software ?
> 
> this is an interesting question.

Indeed.

> 
> > To my knowledge, there are a few things going on : migration to 
OpenOffice,
> 
> where ?

One of the deptt' here at Smals is currently running a << pilot phase >> to 
test how one could read OO documents. As you know, there an official position 
of the government saying that every administration should be able to read OO 
documents by 2008 and be able to produce OO Documents later on (I may be 
wrong here as I've just a press release about this, but not the official 
position)

> 
> > usage of
> > many OSS components (but no free one, how strange !) and the "research" 
dep. is currently having a thorugh look at
> > free software.
> 
> maybe it would be interesting for you to inquire more about these
> points and actions already taken, 

That's precisely what my question was about. I guess that given the number of 
answers, there's not many :-) 

> and maybe also go on with 
> establishing links with http://opengov.be/ a Belgium initiative
> related to free software in public administrations (if I am right,
> many clients of Smals are public adminsitrations)

You're right. That's even "stronger" than that. Smals is an asbl (vzw) and 
therefore, our biggest customers are in fact members of Smals. 

What I think right now is that Smals, as the IT arm of its memeber, has the 
responsibility of explaining what free software is about. Unfortunately, from 
what I can see here, it's more like"we'll be ready to deliver open source 
software if one of our memebers asks for it". So it's not proactive.

stF

> 
> Regards,
> 
> Nicolas
> -- 
> Nicolas Pettiaux - email: nicolas.pettiaux at ael.be
> Utiliser des formats ouverts et des logiciels libres -
> http://www.passeralinux.org.
> Pour la bureautique, les seuls formats ISO sont ceux de 
http://fr.openoffice.org
> 

-- 
Free software, free society


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-- 
Free software, free society