Comments on: Why so many non-profits? http://www.fredtrotter.com/2009/07/02/why-so-many-non-profits/ Hacktivist, coding for social change Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:14:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Fred Trotter » On project governance http://www.fredtrotter.com/2009/07/02/why-so-many-non-profits/comment-page-1/#comment-5576 Fred Trotter » On project governance Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:26:01 +0000 http://www.fredtrotter.com/?p=249#comment-5576 [...] are welcome to setup sub-organization with Liberty Health Software Foundation.  There are other Open Source Health IT non-profits out [...] [...] are welcome to setup sub-organization with Liberty Health Software Foundation.  There are other Open Source Health IT non-profits out [...]

]]> By: ftrotter http://www.fredtrotter.com/2009/07/02/why-so-many-non-profits/comment-page-1/#comment-5367 ftrotter Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:27:21 +0000 http://www.fredtrotter.com/?p=249#comment-5367 You are correct that OSCHA at one time supported all FOSS applications, but currently it also supports proprietary software pretending to be FOSS. We had seriously considering simply making LibertyHSF the US-chapter of OSCHA until this fact came out. Now we worry about how to make LibertyHSF into a more international organization. The reason I have not 'engaged' with OSCHA is that I have a fundamental problem with their leadership. We are not US focused, we are important-project focused. Whatever else you might say about VistA, VistA derived software is running more private hospitals worldwide than any other software package, by a wide margin. In fact a core part of what LibertyHSF is working on now is to get the VA to formally acknowledge that organizations using VistA outside the United States are relevant to their development decisions. Because the VA is part of the US Government, our actions might be misinterpreted to be focused on the US. When we are talking about VistA we are talking about one -core- but many applications. A short list of VistA derived software includes WebVistA, WorldVistA, vxVistA, OpenVistA, HUI VistA, etc etc. This is an application that is used extensively outside the United States, and it is hard to underestimate the significance of this project. More over, if any one, in the United States or otherwise, wanted to run a hospital, I would hesitate to recommend anything other than a VistA derivative of one kind or another. There is no other FOSS hospital EHR that has achieved anything other than Beta status. Having said all of that, I agree that LibertyHSF is currently too focused on VistA. The reason we have chosen to do this is that VA VistA is in crisis and there are several VistA related projects that really must happen -now- to be relevant. Hopefully as people in the far future read these comments, they will find lots of other projects promoted and included at LibertyHSF. -FT You are correct that OSCHA at one time supported all FOSS applications, but currently it also supports proprietary software pretending to be FOSS. We had seriously considering simply making LibertyHSF the US-chapter of OSCHA until this fact came out. Now we worry about how to make LibertyHSF into a more international organization. The reason I have not ‘engaged’ with OSCHA is that I have a fundamental problem with their leadership.

We are not US focused, we are important-project focused. Whatever else you might say about VistA, VistA derived software is running more private hospitals worldwide than any other software package, by a wide margin. In fact a core part of what LibertyHSF is working on now is to get the VA to formally acknowledge that organizations using VistA outside the United States are relevant to their development decisions. Because the VA is part of the US Government, our actions might be misinterpreted to be focused on the US.

When we are talking about VistA we are talking about one -core- but many applications. A short list of VistA derived software includes WebVistA, WorldVistA, vxVistA, OpenVistA, HUI VistA, etc etc. This is an application that is used extensively outside the United States, and it is hard to underestimate the significance of this project. More over, if any one, in the United States or otherwise, wanted to run a hospital, I would hesitate to recommend anything other than a VistA derivative of one kind or another. There is no other FOSS hospital EHR that has achieved anything other than Beta status.

Having said all of that, I agree that LibertyHSF is currently too focused on VistA. The reason we have chosen to do this is that VA VistA is in crisis and there are several VistA related projects that really must happen -now- to be relevant. Hopefully as people in the far future read these comments, they will find lots of other projects promoted and included at LibertyHSF.

-FT

]]> By: Tim Cook http://www.fredtrotter.com/2009/07/02/why-so-many-non-profits/comment-page-1/#comment-5366 Tim Cook Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:19:18 +0000 http://www.fredtrotter.com/?p=249#comment-5366 I have some issues with this posting. First of all, LibertyHSF is not the first organization to support all FOSS applications. It appears to me that LibertyHSF is VERY USA centric. OSHCA was the first truely international organization; even though it has been mainly taken over by Asian interest due to lack of engagement by everyone else. OSHCA has been around since 1999. It also seems to me that LibertyHSF is very VistA oriented. While I think that VistA is a good application and I am a VA healthcare consumer (22 year US Marine) when we talk about VistA we are talking about ONE application. Probably an unsustainable application in the real long term. IMHO; we should be supporting an "information model" not a specific "data model". There is of course much discussion left on this subject. But the US needs to realize (that like in other industries) if we do not take off our blinders we WILL be left behind. INSANITY: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results -- Albert Einstein --Tim I have some issues with this posting. First of all, LibertyHSF is not the first organization to support all FOSS applications. It appears to me that LibertyHSF is VERY USA centric. OSHCA was the first truely international organization; even though it has been mainly taken over by Asian interest due to lack of engagement by everyone else. OSHCA has been around since 1999.

It also seems to me that LibertyHSF is very VistA oriented. While I think that VistA is a good application and I am a VA healthcare consumer (22 year US Marine) when we talk about VistA we are talking about ONE application. Probably an unsustainable application in the real long term.

IMHO; we should be supporting an “information model” not a specific “data model”.

There is of course much discussion left on this subject. But the US needs to realize (that like in other industries) if we do not take off our blinders we WILL be left behind.

INSANITY: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results — Albert Einstein

–Tim

]]> By: Alesha Adamson http://www.fredtrotter.com/2009/07/02/why-so-many-non-profits/comment-page-1/#comment-5352 Alesha Adamson Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:54:17 +0000 http://www.fredtrotter.com/?p=249#comment-5352 One really important thing to note about connectopensource.org is that the project is being managed by the Federal Government with the help of some private industry. One of the most significant develops in the COSmos (if I may call it that) is the acquisition of one Mr. Brian Behlendorf http://tinyurl.com/6nrqyq Who will help lead the evolution of the ecosystem around the COSmos. The community thus far has been behind screen doors and a code bomb was dropped. Note screen door - you could learn more about what was going on, but you had to look really hard and know which houses to stop at. Based on the Connect Expo last week, Brian is going to put our tax payer paid for code in Subversion and by that I am hoping that he is going to stay away from quarterly code drops. Note: connect does not presently have a forge, just a place do d/l. I suspect this will change quite rapidly under Brian's leadership. $0.02 .alesha One really important thing to note about connectopensource.org is that the project is being managed by the Federal Government with the help of some private industry. One of the most significant develops in the COSmos (if I may call it that) is the acquisition of one Mr. Brian Behlendorf http://tinyurl.com/6nrqyq Who will help lead the evolution of the ecosystem around the COSmos. The community thus far has been behind screen doors and a code bomb was dropped. Note screen door – you could learn more about what was going on, but you had to look really hard and know which houses to stop at. Based on the Connect Expo last week, Brian is going to put our tax payer paid for code in Subversion and by that I am hoping that he is going to stay away from quarterly code drops.

Note: connect does not presently have a forge, just a place do d/l. I suspect this will change quite rapidly under Brian’s leadership.

$0.02
.alesha

]]> By: Lee Surprenant http://www.fredtrotter.com/2009/07/02/why-so-many-non-profits/comment-page-1/#comment-5345 Lee Surprenant Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:43:50 +0000 http://www.fredtrotter.com/?p=249#comment-5345 This is an excellent writeup positioning the various healthcare FOSS non-profits (something I have also had trouble understanding). Could you also offer some comments on how these communities differ from groups like http://www.connectopensource.org/display/Gateway/CONNECT+Community+Portal or http://gforge.openehealth.org/gf/ and other sourceforge/university-type projects? This is an excellent writeup positioning the various healthcare FOSS non-profits (something I have also had trouble understanding). Could you also offer some comments on how these communities differ from groups like http://www.connectopensource.org/display/Gateway/CONNECT+Community+Portal or http://gforge.openehealth.org/gf/ and other sourceforge/university-type projects?

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