Re: London OASIS e-gov Conference added

[colin.wallis@ssc.govt.nz]

There is another side to this debate apart from just cost.

As an employee of one government on a pretty tight budget I can say that as it stands I would be lucky to get one F2F OASIS e-gov meeting per year and I did ..but it was the unofficial one in Oxford last July because the trip was justified by the value to be derived from the XML Summer School:-).

The reason is not just the money.  It's that the business case is not yet compelling enough.  In the coming months I hope we can agree on a solid role and strategic position for this TC moving forward.  Even then this
government won't roll over straight away.  They will want to see that the strategy is starting to get traction before considering investing in more.

Like many organisations, the NZ govt has not yet taken a position on the time, effort and money it expends on open standards.  As a user and promoter of them, it knows that there will be some investment. Exactly how much, and what the split is over OASIS, W3C, UN/CEFACT, ISO and others, and the priority of particular standards over others depending on our technology development projects, will be determined in the next 12 months I am told.

It's a big ask for this TC to ask for the member commitment *before* it "lays out its stall with its wares".  Like in every other field, standards organisations are competing for the member dollar and support. I think this TC would be wise to be in "promote and attract" mode for some time to come even after it has confirmed its role and osition. And while in this mode I don't think telephone should be excluded.  Later? with an active solid member base and a tangible track record of delivery, maybe.  But not at this point. And I agree with the others.  Members bearing the cost, Telco, Skype
or whatever is fine. 

Cheers

Colin