From:	 info@osbaf.com
To:	 lwn@lwn.net
Subject: Open Source in Banking and Finance-- Event on Nov 9 in
	 Baltimore
Date:	 Wed, 19 Sep 2001 10:34:17 -0400


  Open Source in Banking and Finance

What: A one-day workshop bringing together people from the banking 
and open source communities.

Why: To explore the promises and problems with open source licenses. 
To understand when cooperation makes sense for a very competitive 
industry. To debate how the industry creates, tests, and agrees upon 
standards.

Where: Baltimore, Engineering Society

When: November 9th

Website: http://www.osbaf.com

Cost: $75 for the day. 20% discount for groups of 10 registering together.

The Schedule:

The workshop will consist of a number of panels designed to encourage 
participation from the audience.  Check the website for the latest 
information because the schedule will probably change slightly as we 
add more panels. Eric Raymond will give the keynote address at 
lunchtime.

Panel topics include:

* Ownership-- Who owns the software? Who bears responsibility? Who is 
the caretaker? Is it a good idea to assign copyright to a non-profit 
caretaker?

* Cooperation-- Are open source licenses the best strategy for 
building necessary alliances between competitors?

* Expertise-- Who owns the information? Do open source practices make 
it easier to attract good talent? Does the lack of a company as 
steward hamper development or does it encourage competition among 
support providers?

* Security-- Is open source software more or less secure? Does 
publicizing the guts of the software encourage auditors or hackers?

* Databases-- Are open source databases ready to compete with Oracle 
and IBM? Can they deliver enough? Is their low-cost and flexibility 
more of an asset or a limitation?

* GNU Cash-- Can an open source project compete with existing 
proprietary formats supported by Intuit and Quicken? Can a tool like 
this help banks provide custom branded tools for their customers?