FOSS4GOV

The United Space Alliance, which manages the computers aboard the International Space Station in association with NASA, has announced that the Windows XP computers aboard the ISS have been switched to Linux. “We migrated key functions from Windows to Linux because we needed an operating system that was stable and reliable.”

In specific, the “dozens of laptops” will make the change to Debian 6. These laptops will join many other systems aboard the ISS that already run various flavors of Linux, such as RedHat and Scientific Linux. As far as we know, after this transition, there won’t be a single computer aboard the ISS that runs Windows. Beyond stability and reliability, Keith Chuvala of the United Space Alliance says they wanted an operating system that “would give us in-house control. So if we needed to patch, adjust or adapt, we could.” It’s worth noting that the ISS laptops used to run Windows XP, and we know they’ve been infected by at least one virus in their lifetime: in 2008, a Russian cosmonaut brought a laptop aboard with the W32.Gammima.AG worm, which quickly spread to the other laptops on board. Switching to Linux will essentially immunize the ISS against future infections.

The laptops that were upgraded belong to the station’s OpsLAN. The crew use the OpsLAN to perform day-to-day activities, such as viewing stock inventory, controlling scientific experiments, or checking their current location. Presumably the laptops used to run bespoke Win32 apps on Windows XP, and now those apps have been re-written to work on Linux — hopefully they’re not being emulated in WINE. To get the astronauts and cosmonauts up to speed, they will be trained by the Linux Foundation.

To be honest, we shouldn’t be too surprised at the ditching of Windows. Linux is the scientific community’s operating system of choice. CERN’s Large Hadron Collider is controlled by Linux. NASA and SpaceX ground stations use Linux. DNA-sequencing lab technicians use Linux. Really, for applications that require absolute stability, which most scientific experiments are, Linux is the obvious choice. The fact that the entire OS is open source and can be easily customized for each experiment is obviously a very big draw, too.

In other news, the first humanoid robot in space, Robonaut 2, which also runs Linux, is due for an upgrade soon. Robonaut 2 (pictured above) was delivered on Space Shuttle Discovery’s final mission in 2011, and at the moment it’s just a torso with two arms — but later in 2013, some climbing legs and a battery pack should be delivered. The ultimate goal is to see whether humans and robots can operate peacefully in zero gravity, with Robonaut eventually performing menial tasks (vacuuming, changing filters), and possibly dangerous tasks during space walks, too.

Now read: Windows 8 may drive me to Linux

Source: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/155392-international-space-station-switches-from-windows-to-linux-for-improved-reliability

The cost savings for open source software (OSS) are well documented. Of all cloud vendors, 90% use Linux-based virtualization for their cloud-computing solutions, including heavy hitters like Amazon.

In 2010, MeriTalk—an online community and go-to resource for government IT—launched its Federal Cloud Computing Savings Calculator. The online calculator projects agencies’ potential cloud savings. According to real IT budget numbers entered by Feds into the calculator, we could have seen savings of between $2.1 and $3.3 billion by clouding steady-state programs, and—incredibly—between $25.3 and $32.8 billion by clouding new IT investments over just three years’ time. Yes, those potential savings are in the billions!

Here at Partnet, we have some first-hand experience with saving the government millions of dollars using open source technologies. Partnet is a major developer of Defense Logistics Agency‘s (DLA) DOD Electronic Mall (DOD EMALL) and has been using open source technology to support the site since 1998. In 2005, Partnet participated in developing a modernization plan for DLA’s DOD EMALL. By deciding to host the web-based eCommerce site on Red Hat Linux rather than a proprietary system, the program saw an initial cost savings of $1.5M and additional savings of $800,000 per year.

In October 2012, OpenITGov announced a toolset for the public sector to build IT systems supporting online services to citizens. OpenITGov claims a significant cost savings by using their alternative solutions. The About Us section for OpenITGov reads: “OpenITGov is a technology partnership that provides a fully integrated set of open source software alternatives that enable low-cost, modern and engaging software applications for the new public sector. “

OpenITGov includes enterprise portal software from Entando; business intelligence software from Jaspersoft; analytics database from Infobright; enterprise service bus from GreenVulcano and Red Hat’s Linux operating system and Jboss application server.”

Money can be saved in almost any IT application being developed, which is perhaps the most compelling reason that government should consider open source software for all projects.

We’ve already had a quick introduction to OSS, and now we’ve discussed the huge cost savings associated with OSS solutions. Be sure to check back in for Part 3 of this blog series, where we will explore where in the government open source software is already being utilized to save money for taxpayers.

This is the second in my four-part series: The Open Source Advantage.

Source: https://turnlevel.com/2013/01/29/why-open-source-software-is-good-for-the-government-part-2-cost-savings/

Last month, Partnet’s CEO, Dr. Don Brown, gave a briefing at the Defense Logistics Conference on the advantages of open source technology for the government. I was in attendance and found myself surprised at how unfamiliar the audience was with open source technology in general and its advantages. They were not aware that some of the most widely used IT platforms, like Amazon, Google, and Facebook are based on open source software (OSS).

The DOD CIO has identified the potential of OSS and released a memo in 2009 supporting its use in DOD applications. A quote from the DOD CIO’s Open Technology Development (OTD): Lessons Learned & Best Practices for Military Software document (2011/05/16) reads, “Imagine if only the manufacturer of a rifle were allowed to clean, fix, modify or upgrade that rifle.”

Unfortunately, this is the position in which the government often finds itself with proprietary, off-the-shelf software applications. Increasingly, licenses are becoming value driven; companies grant fewer licenses per-CPU, in favor of per-seat, per-named-user, and even per-page-view licenses. The result of this is the addition of a variable cost component to operations and restrictions on the value the government can deliver. The logical extrapolation of these events is that government computing will soon either be supplied by a 3rd party cloud player with low variable costs, or that the government itself will be the cloud provider. The latter is only possible if the government provides the service at a lower cost than the 3rd party player.

The key to lowering the cost of ownership of government IT systems: open source software. With thousands of open source applications available that run the gamut from 3D graphics and simulations to complete operating systems, many sections of government have recognized an open source solution for their needs and have already begun to embrace open source technology. Many more, however, have yet to recognize the potential cost savings to the government associated with adopting OSS.

In these days of tight budgets, the government has to look to all possible arenas to achieve cost savings. Using more open source software in government IT systems is a great way to start.

My next blog in the Open Source Advantage series,  Why Open Source Software is Good for the Government: Cost Savings, will explore this idea further and describe the areas in which the government could see some of those cost savings. Be sure to subscribe to the TurnLevel blog to receive our latest posts right to your inbox.

This is the first in my four-part series: The Open Source Advantage.

Source: https://turnlevel.com/2013/01/22/why-open-source-software-is-good-for-the-government-part-1-an-introduction-to-oss/