Free Software & Digital Rights Noosphere

Seeing some news during the usual “surfing” the Internet, I had a wonderful conversation with Ioakim, which transformed into a growing concern about “what happens with the interoperability”?

Just before 1 month, at NTUA a Meeting on Interoperability was held with the support of the Greek Microsoft Innovation Centre in cooperation with the Greek Interoperability Center and Oracle Greece.

Some days ago I also informed found out about the existence of the contest “WeGov 2010” taking place in high summer season and with very narrow margin for proposals – 15 days, but also a request the proposal for the “Best Idea” to be submitted in Word format!

Another thing that puzzles me is that in the finalists (well done for the lead!) of the contest eGOV Awards, was the Greek participation with subject the National Portal for Public Administration, which as mentioned:

ERMIS also includes the Greek Interoperability Framework, a novel approach on interoperability standardisation compatible with EIF 2.0

But the EIF 2.0 is nothing more than the second edition of the European Interoperability Framework which has kept this blog busy some time ago on the occasion of Open Standards, and the image was not the most idyllic. But what we can read the site of the Greek Interoperability Framework is:

Cornerstone of the Digital Strategy 2006-2013 for the transition and adjustment of services to meet the requirements of modern times and is directly related to the objectives and guidelines of the European Policy 2010 – European Information Society 2010.

Is the cornerstone of the Digital Strategy, the one the previous Greek Government didn’t have and the current inaugurated on 04/11/2009. But although, the cornerstone, why the prime minister didn’t told us anything on his famous proclamation?

Also, something that I didn’t gave so much value then but now can not go unnoticed is the fact that both Prime Minister, technocrats and politicians prefer to use the term “Open Software”, a term that does not actually exist as we speak about “Free Software” or “Open Source Software”.

What does “Open Software” means I would also like to know, why I maybe mistaken or have incomplete knowledge. However, in the discussions I had with computer pioneer and Free Software guru, Richard M. Stallman – and yes, it was a lot of these discussions – I did not ever hear him to mention either positively or negatively “Open Software”.

But the promotion of interoperability does not stop there. It is promoted further in The Samos 2010 Summit on ICT for Governance and Policy Modelling. I can not get tempted to tell that people who deal with interoperability should be in love with blogspot to build their website there.

A conference which is organized by the Aegean University and supported by the European Commission, which is “invitation only”.

So what’s about with the “interoperability”? Aren’t some agencies not properly staffed in order to create internal development for the benefit of the Greek government, or are slow-moving due to lack of motivation?

The landscape for IT in the greek public sector begins to change and some should remember the saying: “Nothing is hidden under the (summer) sun”.

Good diving!