All Things Open 2014 - Day 2 Thursday, October 23rd, 2014 Ben Balter Government Evangelist with GitHub Open Government/Open Data Software Development as a Civic Service Find more by Ben here: https://speakerdeck.com/benbalter

1. !Software development
as civic service
Why the government doesn’t use open source
(and why we need your help to change that)
Ben Balter
government.github.com
government@github.com

2. !
Where we are
How we got there
Why we shouldn’t be there
What you can do to help get us out

3. !Where we are
(everything you don’t want to know about how government works)

4. !
People | Process | Product

5. !
People

6. The way we approach technology

7. The way (some) agencies
approach technology

8. Agency workflowPolicy
Executive Program manager
COTRCO OGC
Project Manager
DevelopersDesigners
ComplianceSales
(subcontractors)
CISO
SAOP
508
Government
Contractor

9. !
What’s missing?

10. Open Source workflow
User
need
Developer
Designer
UX
Ship

11. !
Process

12. Open Source tools
Version Control Git
Project Management GitHub, PivotalTracker, etc.
Methodology Lean/Agile
Deliverable Repository

13. Government tools
Version Control Email
Project Management Email
Methodology Just get it done
Deliverable CD-ROM (in triplicate)

15. !
Product

16. Open source technologies
OS Linux
Server Apache
Database MySQL
Language PHP
Framework WordPress/Drupal

17. Government technologies
OS Windows
Server IIS
Database MSSQL
Language ASP.net
Framework Umbraco

18. “Enterprise-grade solutions”

19. !
Less technical expertise
Less user focus
Less tooling

20. !How we got there
(a.k.a why doesn’t the government use open source)

21. !
Platform | Publishing | Procurement

22. !
Using open source platforms

23. F.U.D

24. Government-specific requirements

25. Dedicated Sales Teams

26. Reinventing the wheel

27. !
Publishing open source code

28. Workflow

29. Risk-averse culture

30. Command and Control culture

31. Transparency as a Liability

32. !
Procuring open source resources

36. !
“Why change now?
It’s worked for three decades!”

37. !
Closed source platform
Uphill battle to publish
Procurement by habit

38. !Why we shouldn’t be there
(or what government can learn from open source)

39. !
Source | Data | Government

40. !
Open source (code)

47. !
Open Data

51. !
Open Government

55. !
These are the exception
not the rule.
(for now)

59. !
Take open source workflows
Apply them to code, data, law

60. !What you can do to help
(unless, of course, you hate freedom)

62. !
People | Process | Product

63. !
Product

64. Open source hobbyists

65. Open source suits

66. !
Process

67. TrollsOpen source

68. Open source welcome

69. Open source hand holding

70. !
People

71. Open source Education

72. Closed source as a political liability

73. !
Serious products
Low-risk processes
People who get it

74. Where we are

75. How we got there

76. Why we don’t want to be there

77. What you can do to help

78. What you can do to help

79. What you can do to help

80. !Software development
as civic service
Why the government doesn’t use open source
(and why we need your help to change that)
Ben Balter
government.github.com
government@github.com