Re: [Gnumed-devel] remote control GNUmed

[Ian Haywood]

Sebastian Hilbert wrote:

> It's not like the proprietary guys here give a d*** about interoperating. 
> Fortunately they have to provide some interface since there is a German 
> standard for calling medical equipment like ECG/EKG, urinalysis, peak flow 
> meters. That is called GDT and hands out a flat file to the other application 
> containing patient details and more or less requests like 'start EKG'. The 
> legacy application will then read back the results file and store it some 
> place. That's where we hook into. GNUmed is a 'medical device' for the time 
> being. GNUmed receives and send flat files.
Do not ask what crimes I would commit to have such a standard over here.
We have been begging, pleading our government for years to set standards: all 
has fallen
on deaf ears.

> How do you guys drive in-practice medical equiment ?
Because of the above, we generally don't.

> 
> One last question I do have. Tell me a little more about Australian IT. 
> Is it true that you don't have a ecosystem of small IT shop hacking away on 
> software, doing consulting and providing service ? No matter for which OS.
Most IT shops are 100% Windows and don't do any coding themselves. They and 
their clients
are mutually convinced that the other will never use anything else.

Recently, I found it's not as much "doom-and-gloom" as I've made out previously:
there are 1 or 2 techs who will use support linux for mailserver/firewall etc.
while keeping the client boxes windows. Psychologically this is quite a big 
shift in itself,
currently the lack of clinical software means the next step is academic.
The only linux client setup I have heard of is Horst's: he uses thin clients and
runs his clinical software under Win4Lin.

I am hopeful at least one of these IT guys could be persuaded to support thin 
linux clients (i.e the no-configure
'shoebox' things) and postgres on the server, there's certainly 5-6 clinics who 
then would be interested in his
area (New South Wales)

> Is it true that it is too hard or unattractive to set up a small shop 
> yourself ?
When gnumed goes "prime-time" I would consider sitting the LPI exam so I can 
tout
myself as a support person, mainly to counter the "there is no support" 
argument:
I would not expect to make any actual money.

> I guess it might be possible to do so but the chances of gathering clients 
> are 
> equally low as over here. But don't you think it's easier here.
Would you consider providing remote support in Australia, using VoIP and SSH?
(seriously)


Ian