The team set out its preference for open source in a blog published on 29 July. When asked by FutureGov whether open source is harder to use than proprietary software, Eric Mill, Software Engineer at 18F responded: “Not at all. It’s typically just the opposite, especially with larger open source projects.”
Support for open source software is publicly available and continuously developing, he added, unlike support for proprietary software, which is limited to those who can afford it. “Communities for even modestly successful open source projects generally offer rapid assistance, and their help is publicly preserved to create an ongoing knowledge base. Support for proprietary software can be effective and quick, but is generally private and limited to those with the budget to pay for it,” Mill explained.
The team has a strong policy to be open source by default. Apart from using free and open source software, the staff should also create an environment where any project can be developed in public. “For nearly everything we make, we work in public and dedicate our work to the international public domain,” he said.
“18F’s developers are also encouraged to contribute back to open source projects that we use in our own work,” he added. Its open source policy requires it to publicly publish all source code it creates or modifies, whether developed by government staff or contractors.
The unit, which was setup in March, is also learning from the UK government’s Government Digital Services (GDS<). “Mike Bracken, GDS’s Executive Director, inspired all of us when he visited GSA [General Services Administration] last fall. GDS’s situation is somewhat different from ours, but we are great admirers and are learning a lot from their team,” noted Hillary Hartley, Deputy Executive Director of 18F.
18F will “accelerate agile technology development across the federal government” which will help deliver user-centric digital services, Hartley added.
See 18F’s open source projects on GitHub.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Medha Basu
Quelle/Source: futureGov, 15.08.2014
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