[1] MOST Midland Open Source Technology (the MOST project) is a ChangeUp project, funded through Government Office West Midlands, to improve the ICT infrastructure of the West Midlands. What’s different is the way that it is accomplishing this task - entirely through free software. After a trial project last year, MOST started taking on staff in the autumn and gearing up for its official launch last December.

A long look at the sector, and at the mistakes made in previous projects, showed the key to successful implementation: training and support. In other words, it’s no use just throwing hardware and software at groups needing IT, and expecting it to stick: fear of change must be addressed. MOST has developed free software desktop training courses and certification, working with the Ingots project. This is supplemented with special training for the office superuser - every organisation has an informal ‘guru’, looked to by everyone in the office to handle any question about the computers. MOST intends to cherish these people wherever it finds them - giving them access to as much GNU/Linux knowledge as they feel they want, and setting them off on the path to free software evangelism.

Security training is also on offer - including data protection (don’t stick that old hard drive in the skip) - and the jewel in the training crown: extensive management training. The MOST two day management course starts with training managers to give them the IT skills that they need, and then moves on to training managers to understand the IT skills and training needs of their whole organisation. Building on the work of the Oxford group, and using the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), this training gives managers the tools they need to recognise the IT skills necessary for each post within the organisation, and how to go about filling the skills gaps with appropriate training. Managers also leave the course with a free laptop, running a GNU/Linux desktop, and loaded with all the software that they need - and in whatever languages their project needs.

And talking of laptops - MOST has been able to use its buying power to negotiate supplies of Linux-ready desktops and laptops with local hardware manufacturers, sorting out driver issues, and niggles like driving the laptop projector output under GNU/Linux. Group buying power also enables MOST to work with others in developing database and financial software for the sector, and to provide discounted hosting and CMS development for groups in need of it.