1. Open 2020 Taking Advantage of FOSS
Andrew Tridgell
Samba Team

2. Why Open Matters Flexibility is the key
The IT industry is simultaneously the industry most capable of being open, and most susceptible to being closed
Corporate Choice
If given the opportunity companies will choose proprietary solutions, as proprietary solutions enable monopolies, and monopolies lead to easy profits
Direction of society
The benefits of open computing to society as a whole are obvious
The challenge is to find ways to encourage the elements of that society to make the open choice

3. FOSS is Established Free software is here to stay
Already a major force in embedded computing
An increasingly significant player in computing infrastructure
Still small in desktop computing, but growing

4. The future of FOSS Free software is here to stay
Already a major force in many markets
An increasingly significant player in computing infrastructure
Still small in mainstream desktop use, but growing
The question now for Australia isn't whether free software will be a
success, it is how to ensure that Australian society can maximally
benefit from the changes that free software brings

5. Benefitting from free software
To gain maximum benefit we must
Eliminate structural impediments to the use of free software
Reduce the ability of companies to use anti-competitive means against free software
Maximise the portability of information between vendors

6. What needs to be done? Government role is key
Governments must strive to maximise the benefit to society of the increasing use of free software in the IT industry
Proprietary companies are likely to become increasingly desperate in their attempts to hold back the tides of change
Australian governments should lead by example, by following best practices in interfacing with society, using open document formats and software that can be used on all platforms
Australian governments should ensure that taxpayer funded software development should result in open software

7. Immediate Concerns Patent reform
Software patents are still a major threat to the IT industry, and free software in particular
Copyright reform
Years of poor copyright legislation have left us with a huge mess. We need a serious cleanup effort.
Use of FOSS in schools
We need to enable the use of FOSS throughout the school system
Open document formats
Governments need to wholeheartedly embrace open document formats and open interfaces