Re: Video Neelie Kroes

[Sense Hofstede <qense ubuntu com>]

On 14 July 2010 16:28, Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier <jzb zonker net> wrote:
> Someone else already addressed the "able to speak" thing - I'd just
> add "unable to speak at the conference"
>
> "The video is very relevant to the conference." Sounds defensive. Of
> course it's relevant to the conference or we wouldn't have chosen it.
> I'd strike the sentence.
>
> The title "draws open source support" - what does that mean? How about
> "draws support" ? Sounds like we're just trying to wedge open source
> into the headline. But better yet:
>
> EU Commissioner voices support for GNOME's annual GUADEC conference
>
> ?
>
> Do we have a transcript of the video? And at the end of the release,
> let's provide the full link to the video rather than generic YouTube
> link: I'd recommend using a shortened URL. (Maybe ur1.ca?)
>
Please find attached the transscript I used to add English and Dutch
subtitles to the video.

> Best,
>
> Zonker
>
> On Tue, Jul 13, 2010 at 5:01 PM, William from Texas
> <williamfromtexas gmail com> wrote:
>> Ok, chaps, here's a last chance to look at this press release before I post
>> it to the website! I give it about 12 hours until I post it tomorrow
>> afternoon.
>>
>> Feedback welcome!!
>>
>> ---
>>
>> Tuesday July 13, 2010
>>
>> GUADEC conference draws Open Source support from EU Commissioner
>>
>> European Union (EU) Commissioner for Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes has
>> released a video statement emphasising the importance of Open Source
>> Software (OSS) in Europe and the need to foster a growing open source
>> community. The video came in response to an invitation by the GNOME Users
>> and Developers European Conference (GUADEC). Unable to speak, Kroes instead
>> record her statement strongly supporting OSS and its work across European
>> sectors.
>>
>> Commissioner Kroes explained that OSS was in everyones best interests.
>> Proprietary software, said Kroes, "discourages [government] officials from
>> selecting software on merit." Many governments, such as in France, Germany,
>> Spain, the Netherlands and the UK, are already using or testing OSS, and the
>> benefits are "not only good value for money ... but also more choice."
>>
>> Aside from the national-level, European-level commitment and preparedness
>> for OSS has sent promising signals, showing that in Europe, the work of
>> shaping our digital future should be done by us: the people and the
>> communities. Tools for public use include: the Open Software Observatory and
>> Repository (OSOR) database, a platform to develop, collaborate and share
>> software and best practices between public administrations; the European
>> Union Public License (EUPL), a "copy left" style software license; and the
>> European Interoperability Framework, a policy instrument that aims at
>> interoperability in and between public administrations.
>>
>> GUADEC is an annual conference which focuses on development of the GNOME
>> desktop. Begun in 1998, GUADEC has been hosted in various locations around
>> Europe. The 2010 conference will be in The Hague, The Netherlands, at the
>> end of July.
>>
>> GNOME is used as the default graphic user environment in many major Linux
>> and Unix systems. With the tenets of promoting freedom, accessability and
>> usability, GNOME is well positioned to play a key role in future OSS
>> projects.
>>
>> The GNOME desktop is used by millions of people around the world. GNOME is a
>> standard part of all leading GNU/Linux and Unix distributions, and is
>> popular with both large existing corporate deployments and millions of small
>> business and home users worldwide.
>>
>> Composed of hundreds of volunteer developers and industry-leading companies,
>> the GNOME Foundation is an organization committed to supporting the
>> advancement of GNOME. The foundation is a member directed, non-profit
>> organisation that provides financial, organisational and legal support to
>> the GNOME project and helps determine its vision and roadmap.
>>
>> The video is very relevant to the conference. The GNOME Open Desktop Day, a
>> pre-conference to the main event, is specifically focused on the role that
>> OSS can play with government and education. The Open Desktop Day will host a
>> panel of speakers to discuss OSS's role in the public domain.
>>
>> Commissioner Kroes is a well-known digital advocate. As one of the leads
>> opposing proprietary technology, Kroes has used her role to pursue Microsoft
>> towards greater interoperability of the Windows platform. In her role as
>> Commissioner for Digital Agenda, she continues to stand up for open digital
>> innovation.
>>
>> As Kroes says, government "can bring people together, help get rid of
>> obstacles, and occasionally give funding to help in research and
>> development. But the real difference is made by people and communities, like
>> the open source movement."
>>
>> The full video is on the GUADEC website:
>> www.guadec.org
>>
>> The video can also be found on Youtube
>> www.youtube.com
>>
>> More information about GUADEC, GNOME and the GNOME Foundation can be found
>> at www.guadec.org, www.gnome.org and foundation.gnome.org.
>> ---
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier <jzb zonker net>
> About: http://www.dissociatedpress.net/about/
>



-- 
Sense Hofstede
[ˈsɛn.sə ˈɦɔf.steː.də]

'Open source' is not a dirty word any more. It used to be a dirty word, a scary one.
For example, in e-government applications and public administrations open source was something to be used at home, as a hobby. Nobody would dare to push for an open source solution in a public organisation.
"Who will offer us technical support, and what if we are sued for infringing someone's IP if we use this?"
Those were the sort of issues that discouraged officials from selecting software on merit. We do not yet have a true level playing field, but thankfully attitudes are changing.
One example is the European Commission's OSOR project. This project raises awareness and stimulates reuse of successful open source solutions, across European public administrations.
And another example is EUPL, the EU open source license, which, under an EU legal framework, allows for easy licensing of open source software.
Today many large organisations across Europe, such as the Munich City Council, use solutions like Linux. And the UK government has been pushing open source solutions since 2009, with many government departments now using it as a component.
And from what I hear, such bodies are pleased with the results. The reason is not only good value for money, which is critical in today's financial situation, but also more choice. There is lower dependency on certain vendors, and lower switching costs.
Things are changing, also in the private sector. Now large companies declare, proudly, that they are not only using open source software, but contributing to it. And that means that many important open source projects are in fact backed by businesses who are investing in it. They make good returns. And that is going to continue as a major boost for the open source movement.
According to data from open source providers, like RedHat, the top three countries for open source activity in the EU are France, Spain and Germany. And with such big countries in the lead, the momentum for open source is set to keep on growing.
Indeed, open source is appearing everywhere: in consumer products, in databases, in business software, in games and as a component of services delivered across the internet.
And large initiatives like NOiV, the 'Nederland Open in Verbinding' (the Netherlands Openly in Connection"), from my own country, the Netherlands, are helping to make it mainstream also in public administration.
The European Commission has done a lot to encourage this trend. One example is the European Interoperability Framework, which aims at interoperability in and between public administrations.
And now the digital agenda for Europe, is raising the stakes. Here we are aiming at a more strategic approach to interoperability and standards, and emphasising the important link to public procurement.
That can really change the way open source is seen in public administrations and offer a lot of potential to small and medium sized providers.
You have an important role in shaping Europe's digital future. Governments cannot simply announce and deliver the digital future. It must come out of an organic and shared responsibility. And I want to build a broad movement for digital action. At the EU we can bring people together, help get rid of obstacles, and occasionally give funding to help in research and development. But the real difference is made by people and communities, like the open source movement.