[AktiviX-discuss] Ethical ICT...

[Dan]

I think someone at Seeds for Change already contacted my company - the 
Ethical Property Company - to get your details on our Intranet.  I 
wonder if you should harrass them more?  You could just, off-hand-like, 
mention that you can set up sharepoint-like systems for a fraction of 
the cost, list the ethical reasons why Microsoft suck, offer to do a 
costing to show how much cheaper it could be...

I dunno: they may already have paid the £4000.  It just seems such a 
damn shame for a company that sets up social change centres *not* to use 
an ethical ICT system...

Dan

max wrote:

>>Now excuse my ranting on this list:  I always feel a bit like a fraud,
>>given that I'm not a techie in any meaningful sense of the word.
>>    
>>
>I think that's ok - aktivix is for activists who want to do something 
>with/around/for Free Software :-) (or, for more comprehensive descriptions 
>see http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~jmr59/aktivix/aktivix_what.pl)
>
>  
>
>>But I just wanted to pass something by you...
>>
>>A while ago, I wrote to various people about the fact that I'd just
>>started working for a fairly small company who set up centres for social
>>change groups.  I was hoping to push the company in an open source
>>direction.
>>
>>I've failed miserably - but in analysing why, I think there's some stuff
>>to think about, and I'd like to know if anyone else thinks any of this
>>has legs / what thoughts people might have.
>>    
>>
>yes - this is interesting. it's good to see what works, and what doesn't.
>
>  
>
>>What did I try to do?
>>
>>1. Ask techies I knew if they had any ideas on what I might say to my
>>company.  My non-techie vagueness was met with, um, well... not very
>>much positive.  Which is not surprising, coz I was vague... but see below.
>>    
>>
>I find techies can often be very (wilfully/blindly/naively) ignorant about 
>Free/Open Source Software. to the extent of saying such things as "Linux 
>doesn't have a graphical user interface". To some extent it could be fear - 
>fear of having to learn a whole new set of everything to deal with Linux and 
>co, to fear that they'll be replaced with a unix systems admin. But often i 
>just think it's sheer ignorance and belief in microsoft.
>
>  
>
>>2. Ask my company to consider open source as a route - they were in the
>>process of setting up a shared system for all centres, so that
>>organisations could e.g. book rooms online.  I got quite a lot of
>>feedback - but in the end, the IT bod went for - oh fuck! - Microsoft
>>Sharepoint, spending £4000 in the process.
>>    
>>
>ah - this is where having somebody from outside confidently saying "£600 to 
>set up, and no licence fees for ever" comes in.
>
>  
>
>>Why?  Well - they're not techies, and its a really busy company who
>>needed an IT solution.
>>
>>That's where I start to think:  well, why the f**k wasn't there an
>>ethical, open source one?  How hard can it be to be able to go to
>>ethical / community / social change organisations, saying -
>>
>>1. Here's the reasons why traditional products suck.
>>
>>2. Here's how much cheaper our solution is
>>
>>3. And we can offer support and back-up, as well as bespoke
>>installation.  But you'll be paying nothing for the software, we can
>>integrate it with your current Microsoft systems if necessary, and we
>>can even supply you with internet ready PCs for just £10!
>>
>>It's the ease with which this is an option that's the thing - from the
>>point of view of a company shelling out a huge sum of money.  And I
>>guess there are plenty of people who'd never support Microsoft
>>systems... and so that means that companies like mine will just become
>>more and more locked into it.
>>
>>So - does anyone think there's scope for some kind of not-for-profit
>>company / all profits would go into the Aktivix fund to e.g. get
>>Indymedia a new server, start up a community ICT project where a fund to
>>pay programmers came into being / choices of project were chosen by
>>consensus... see where I'm going with that?
>>    
>>
>there's quite a few social/environmental/animal rights/other activists who do 
>this kind of thing. Like us - this is the main way we fund our work at Seeds 
>for Change (free training for activists and campaigners 
>http://seedsforchange.org.uk/free). 
>
>But you're right, it's difficult to know who to turn to. Perhaps everyone 
>who's selling or giving away their services for this kind of thing should 
>drop a line to the list so we know where to go when we need advice or someone 
>to do something...
>
>  
>
>>It all exists already: all that needs to happen is that someone is able
>>to see it from the point of view of a company like mine - who do *try*
>>to ethically audit what they do - who don't want to have to spend a
>>stupendous amount of time messing about, and who hence end up going for
>>what feels safest.
>>    
>>
>Yes - we do an assessment - at the end we tell people how much carrying on 
>with M$ will cost, how much a M$ upgrade will be, and how much a migration 
>(server/desktop/mixed) will cost, and what that means in terms of hassle and 
>benefits. http://seedsforchange.org.uk/linux
>
>Max
>
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>  
>


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