6. Lessons Learned1. Norris indicates that it might seem counter-intuitive, but (his) experience indicates that using open source can often make a project more nimble because its resources are concentrated on the system's core architecture instead of specific features. However, the problem he discusses below indicates the need for knowing whether OSS is included in the project. "This posed a problem for the use of two components that were released under the restrictive General Public License, which requires all applications linked to the code to also be open source. Fortunately, in both cases the open source suppliers let (him) purchase a less restrictive license for a small fee, and tossed in priority technical support as part of the deal".  2. Scott et al indicate another lessons learned when they discuss the fact that many government programs have existing technology that was originally funded by the government. "If the intellectual rights over those technologies are inadequate or cannot be determined, the government should consider negotiating with the appropriate integrators/vendors to release the source code under less restrictive data rights sufficient for an Open Government Off the Shelf (OGOTS) or OSS project. An easy way to do this is to simply fund the conversion process for the contractor(s)."  |