The Open Source Software Seminar 2006 - Friday, March 3rd, 2006, Copthorne Plimmer Towers

Presentations kindly provided by our speakers are linked in the program below.

In the spirit of "eating our own dog food" the GOVIS webmaster has downloaded Open Office 2.0.1 and used it to open the two presentations that were provided as ODPs (Open Document Presentations). For those of you unable or unwilling to try this, the presentations have also been "Saved as ..." Microsoft Powerpoint and "Exported to PDF" from Open Office.

You are invited to open the formats of your choice and compare the outputs.
 

Mary-Ann Fisher is the Program Executive responsible for IBM's Open Source and Linux initiatives with governments around the world.

Mary-Ann was a popular speaker at the last OSS Seminar, and returns to provide a broad and balanced overview aimed at a strategic level about how to leverage OSS technology: in support of enterprise business strategy; and as an enabler of an agile responsive enterprise.

Her presentation will encompass:

• Proven enterprise - level implementations
• Opportunities and Challenges of Open Source Software
• Whether and how to use both... or to standardize all systems on one or the other
• Strength and weaknesses of each
• Right Criteria to use in making a choice

Guide to Legal Issues in Using Open Source Software (PPT 109 KB)

Edwin Bruce is Manager for E-government Projects at the State Services Commission. In the first part of this session, Edwin will talk about the use of open source software by New Zealand government agencies.

In the second part of the session, John Elwood will overview SSC's new guide to how government agencies should assess and mitigate the legal risks of using open source software, based upon his experience in researching much of the guide's content. John was previously a senior IT lawyer for a national law firm and is now independently consulting on IT commercial issues.

John Elwood, Consutant

Bill Hilf, Microsoft's Linux Lab Manager, talks about his role in helping Microsoft to have a clear, unbiased and knowledgeable understanding of Open Source Software (OSS): the technology, the development models, how the community works, the pros and cons, and the mechanics of the overall process.

Andrew McMillan and Don Christie are directors at Catalyst IT, NZ's largest company dedicated exclusively to open source technologies.

Their presentation will encompass:

• The types of projects undertaken;
• The benefits their clients have realised;
• The challenges met; and
• The opportunities created by their clients use of OSS.

Frank Feldmann from Novell will talk about how it is possible to achieve enterprise-class infrastructure software and services, by using a flexible combination of open source and proprietary technologies. As a result, you can expect to reduce costs and complexity while increasing the return on your IT investment.

Richard Wyles is the Project Director for the NZ Open Source Virtual Learning Environment Project involving a consortium of twenty universities, institutes of technology and polytechnics.

Richard will talk about:

• The project approach;
• The challenges and advantages of broad (sector-wide) collaboration using OS technologies; and
• the fit of OS with innovation and knowledge economies.

Laurie Wong is a Software Business Manager at Sun Microsystems'. Laurie will review how Open Source and Open Standards are continuing to radically transform the economics of access to technology for Governments and organisations.

• What does it mean for Governments and suppliers if all the IT technology "crown jewels" are for free
• What key barriers to adoption and deployment does Open Source and Open Standards software remove and expose
• What are the guidelines and policies to manage these new barriers and vanishing barriers
• Data from the new world - Case study from the Net - Ning by Marc Andeersen co-founder of Ning

An opportunity to address further questions to a panel of the day's speakers

The bar will be open and you are invited to spend some time networking.

Register online now at our conference organiser's website

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