Category: Latest News

Feedback from December’s monthly meeting (next online meeting Tues 1st Feb at 15:00 as link in group profile):

1. Was a fairly quick meeting but we agreed, as with last year, we’ll skip the Jan 4th meeting, so next meeting with be first Tues in Feb.
2. SAOSS Twitter – we noted we are not getting the retweet’s and likes we want to see from the few posts we do and which inc The Presidency and others. It makes our effort look bad as no support is seen. It is suggested therefore that any SAOSS members with Twitter accounts, please activate notifications for the SAOSS account so they are alerted to tweets to be retweeted. It is only two or so tweets per month.
3. Kubernetes as a MIOS cloud standard – Karl will go see Richard at SITA in Jan.
4. Establishing a FOSS special interest group for GITOC – Aslam to speak to Nhlanhla (Deon Nel already expressed willingness to discuss with Nhlanhla) – pending feedback.
5. Right to Repair – Danie will convey to GITOC TTT to have it added as an agenda point on their meeting.
6. We also discussed some other issues (carried over) that are not for action right now but we’ll keep them on as discussion points:
6.1 Enterprise Architecture – Mohamed raises importance of it determining direction and FOSS awareness legislation, MIOS, etc but often external parties are just contracted to complete it for Depts and Entities. Keu is on this group and can be involved in this.
6.2 IT in schools – the fact that Delphi is still being taught, whilst Python is so popular and even presented by Microsoft says Karl. It is possibly something that can be taken up within the FOSS special interest group.

Hi all, feedback from the online monthly meeting today 3 Nov 2021:

1. Telegram SAOSS group – as agreed at last month’s meeting it was closed and deleted today.
2. Kubernetes as a MIOS standard for cloud – Karl will still get to see Richard Brown at SITA to discuss.
3. Establishing a FOSS special interest group for GITOC – it is not for us to say how GITOC TTT will be involved or the nature of the new entity, but we need to establish correct Chairperson at TTT to discuss with Nhlanhla. Roles and hierarchy are important for gov to determine, and it is envisaged it may be a special interest group. Danie will establish contact person with TTT.
4. Events – we need to think about Software Freedom Day and similar for next year. We will use the SAOSS website event calendar for now to pin events down.
5. Right to Repair – Danie feels it is more in TTT domain being hardware related and he will convey our ideas around repairability scoring etc to TTT.
6. We also discussed some other issues that are not for action right now but we’ll keep them on as discussion points:
6.1 Enterprise Architecture – Mohamed raises importance of it determining direction and FOSS awareness legislation, MIOS, etc but often external parties are just contracted to complete it for Depts and Entities. Keu is on this group and can be involved in this.
6.2 IT in schools – the fact that Delphi is still being taught, whilst Python is so popular and even presented by Microsoft says Karl. It is possibly something that can be taken up within the FOSS special interest group.

Next meeting 7th Dec 2021 at 15:00. Website and Jitsi link is in Signal Group’s header.

Today’s meeting as per website event:
1. Sensitising GITOC TTT to open source SC or working group – Danie contacted TTT and they discussed it last Friday at their meeting and await developments.
2. Kubernetes as cloud standard – Karl will go see Richard at SITA.
3. Aslam to speak to Nhlanhla re SC – pending feedback.
4. Decided unanimously to move the chat group to Signal as a closed group. Reasons are Signal is E2EE, is open source, and we have a need to discuss some sensitive topics. This means that anyone joining the new group will need to be peer reviewed by an existing member that knows that. Myself, Calwin, and Mohamed are already on the new group. I will reach out to some of the existing members here on the Telegram group and invite them, but if we miss anyone, please contact myself or Karl. This should allow some who left this group, to rejoin. It means we won’t any longer be running a public open Telegram group, but this group will only close down after next month’s Jitsi meeting. Our website remains public as a resource for documents, news, and the discussion forum.