Peter Quinn

State's ex-CIO slams Microsoft-entranced 'bullies'

adamg — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 04:41:20 +0000

Groklaw has the first interview with Peter Quinn since he stepped down as CIO after the firestorm caused by his proposal to use an open (i.e., non-Microsoft) document format. Among the issues he discusses: Who fed the Globe what turned out to be a bogus front-page article alleging possible wrong-doing because he spoke at several open-source conferences:

... PJ: Do you know who inspired the Globe to do the investigation? Was it (State Sen. Mark) Pacheco?

Quinn: Almost to a person, to anybody involved or who knows about the ODF issue, they attributed the story to Microsoft, right, wrong or otherwise. Senator Pacheco may be a bully but I do not believe he is disingenuous and would stoop to such a tactic. Senator Pacheco and Secretary Galvin's office remain very heavily influenced by the Microsoft money and its lobbyist machine, as witnessed by their playbook and words, in my opinion. ...

Awright, who made up the story about the state IT director?

adamg — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 01:15:07 +0000

David's been wondering about the now bogus story about the alleged improprieties of state CIO Peter Quinn going to open-source computing conferences (to talk about the state's proposal for an open-source document standard). He does something about it:

... It does make you wonder where the Massachusetts government got the wrong information that prompted the false accusations and the article in the first place. Did the Romney administration fall for a Microsoft smear? I've sent Stephen Kurkjian an email, asking.

Kurkjian is the Globe reporter who wrote the front-page story a week or so ago raising questions about Quinn's travels (as well as the more recent, not-on-page-one story exonerating him).

Earlier:
Hung out to dry, state IT official is reeled back in
How long before the state's looking for a new IT head?

My standard newspaper disclosure.

Hung out to dry, state IT official is reeled back in

adamg — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 02:25:33 +0000

Just in case you missed it, a top Romney official now says the head of the state's IT department did nothing wrong in going to conferences on open-source software. Seems Eric Kriss approved all of Peter Quinn's travels - but didn't bother to tell anybody when the Globe Spotlight Team (or Stephen Kurkjian, at any rate) began asking questions about it. Charley says:

... And so much for the outrageous Globe hit piece on Quinn -- muckraking, not nitpicking, please. The real issue in this is campaign finance: Who's paying for Romney and Marc Pacheco to shill for Microsoft? Who's making the phone calls and making veiled threats or non-promise promises? Follow the money, guys. ...

Speaking of the Globe coverage, the initial story that raised allegations about Quinn ran on page 1. The follow-up, which cleared him, ran on page B1.

My standard newspaper disclosure. Bonus disclosure: Last week, I wrote an editorial for Network World calling the charges against Quinn ludicrous.

How long before the state's looking for a new IT head?

adamg — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 03:24:35 +0000

Charley wonders if the Romney administration's new investigation of the travels of IT Division Director Peter Quinn has anything to do with a desire to coddle up to Microsoft - which opposes Quinn's proposal for an open document format not supported by Microsoft Word. At issue are several trips he made to, gasp, conferences on open-source software in business and government. The Globe's report, which shows a pretty significant lack of understanding of how high-tech trade shows work, states:

... Even though a galaxy of computer companies are listed as sponsors of many of the conferences, Quinn did not list any of them on his authorization forms or the business relationships any of them have with the Commonwealth. ...

The horror! In fact, trade shows are typically organized by a trade-show companies (IDG, where I work for one subsidiary, has another subsidiary that exists to put on trade shows) or trade associations - which then solicit "sponsors." Basically, they're the same as advertisers in, oh, the Globe, rather than primary organizers of the events.

One of the shows cited by The Globe is the 2004 annual conference of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, which was sponsored in part by Microsoft and where Quinn spoke on a panel with Stuart McKee, National Technology Officer, U.S. Public Sector, Microsoft Corporation. If the show was co-sponsored by Microsoft, does that mean Quinn might be biased in favor of Microsoft? If so, why did he propose something antithetical to the company? Makes the head spin.