[JDEV] FW: DoD Policy on Open Source

[Ulrich B. Staudinger]

It's all in the news ...
I think it boils down to viruses which could be protected from the GPL 
... and other harmful software.

Tony Bamonti wrote:

>It was forwarded to me from a contact at Sun.......from the context of the
>message, I interpreted as being quite authentic.
>
>/tb
>
>  
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Sameer Verma [mailto:sverma at sfsu.edu]
>>Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 12:10 PM
>>To: jdev at jabber.org
>>Subject: Re: [JDEV] FW: DoD Policy on Open Source
>>
>>
>>What's the source of this memo/document? Any references to 
>>the original?
>>
>>-- 
>>Dr. Sameer Verma, Ph.D.
>>Asst. Professor of Information Systems
>>San Francisco State University
>>San Francisco CA 94132 USA
>>http://verma.sfsu.edu/ 
>>
>>
>>
>>Tony Bamonti wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>>DOD Memo on Open Source software issued last week.
>>>>
>>>>john
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------
>>>      
>>>
>>---------------
>>    
>>
>>>-
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Defense Department Issues Open Source Policy
>>>>By Thor Olavsrud <mailto:tolavsrud at jupitermedia.com>
>>>>June 3, 2003
>>>>
>>>>The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) last week distributed 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>a memo putting
>>    
>>
>>>>open source software on a level playing field with 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>proprietary software
>>    
>>
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>when
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>it comes to use within the department, though the memo also 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>warned that
>>    
>>
>>>>those using open source software (OSS) must comply with 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>"lawful licensing
>>    
>>
>>>>requirements" and be aware of what those licenses entail.
>>>>
>>>>The DoD is a user of both open source and proprietary 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>software, ranging
>>    
>>
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>from
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Linux and BSD on the open end, to Unices and Windows on the 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>proprietary
>>    
>>
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>end.
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>The memo eases fears that the military might ban use of the 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>GNU General
>>    
>>
>>>>Public <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html#GPL>  
>>>>        
>>>>
>>License (GPL).
>>    
>>
>>>>Providing a description of open source licenses and licensing
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>requirements,
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>including a specific focus on the GPL, the memo, written by 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>John Stenbit,
>>    
>>
>>>>chief information officer and assistant secretary for 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>Command, Control,
>>    
>>
>>>>Communications and Intelligence Defense Department, noted, 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>"The Linux
>>    
>>
>>>>operating system is an example of an operating system used 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>in DoD that is
>>    
>>
>>>>licensed under the GPL."
>>>>
>>>>Stenbit also used the memo to remind recipients that any 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>"DoD Components"
>>    
>>
>>>>who acquire, use or develop OSS must make sure that the 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>software complies
>>    
>>
>>>>with the same DoD policies governing Commercial Off the 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>Shelf (COTS) and
>>    
>>
>>>>Government Off the Shelf (GOTS) software.
>>>>
>>>>"This includes, but is not limited to, the requirements that all
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>information
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>assurance (IA) or IA-enabled IT hardware, firmware and 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>software components
>>    
>>
>>>>or products incorporated into DoD information systems, 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>whether acquired or
>>    
>>
>>>>originated within DoD: 1. Comply with the evaluation and
>>>><http://niap.nist.gov/niap/library/nstissp_11.pdf>  validation
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>requirements
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>of National Security Telecommunications and Information 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>Systems Security
>>    
>>
>>>>Policy Number 11, and; 2. be configured in accordance with 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>DoD-approved
>>    
>>
>>>>security configuration guidelines available at 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>http://iase.disa.mil/ and
>>    
>>
>>>>http://www.nsa.gov/."
>>>>
>>>>Stenbit also urged anyone considering OSS within DoD to 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>understand the
>>    
>>
>>>>ramifications of its use. "DoD Components acquiring, using 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>or developing
>>    
>>
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>OSS
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>must comply with all lawful licensing requirements," he said. "As
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>licensing
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>provisions may be complex, the DoD Components are strongly 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>encouraged to
>>    
>>
>>>>consult their legal counsel to ensure that the legal 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>implications of the
>>    
>>
>>>>particular license are fully understood."
>>>>
>>>>Open source licenses often require modifiers and 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>distributors of the code
>>    
>>
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>to
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>make their source code available, publish a copyright 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>notice, place a
>>    
>>
>>>>disclaimer of warranty on distributed copies and give 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>recipients of the
>>    
>>
>>>>program a copy of the license. The GPL, which governs the Linux open
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>source
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>operating platform, is a particularly strict open source 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>license which
>>    
>>
>>>>requires anyone that distributes code they have modified to make the
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>source
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>code available when distributing the original binary code 
>>>>        
>>>>
>>or derivatives.
>>    
>>
>>>>------------- End Forwarded Message -------------
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
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>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>
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>>    
>>
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>  
>


-- 
Ulrich B. Staudinger
http://www.die-horde.de
email: us at die-horde.de
jid: uls at jabber.org