IOSN was set up to promote the use of Free/Open Source Software, Open Standards and Open Content. Therefore, IOSN adopts and follows the operational practices and philosophy of the Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) community.

In keeping with this, we undertake a world-wide process of public review of all our manuscripts intended for publication via the Internet, before we publish anything in its final form on the web or in hardcopy. In addition, "request for feedback" is made by us on many regional and international mailing lists and discussion forums. Finally, we have each manuscript formally reviewed by a minimum of three external peer reviewers. Only after the feedback received from the public and external peer reviewers is addressed, do we publish the final electronic and paper versions of any IOSN manuscript, including all our FOSS Primers.

Ideally, comments and feedback should be provided to us at the time when we invite such input during the public review, in order for them to be considered prior to publication. However, sometimes we receive feedback after the manuscript has already been through the entire above-noted process, and has been formally published and widely distributed. In such cases it is not possible for us to address the feedback within the publication itself. One such instance is feedback just received from Business Software Alliance (BSA) on a number of our publications, and we offer this to readers in its entirety alongside the IOSN/FOSS Primers discussed therein. BSA has kindly consented to our publishing their input on our website and we thank them for sharing their views and thoughts with us and the IOSN membership.

We believe the above to be in keeping with FOSS practise and philosophy as it will enable our readership to have the benefit of divergent views from different stakeholders in the global FOSS debate, and we invite additional feedback and input from interested parties.

BSA feedback and comments on IOSN Primers

BSA Open Letter to APDIP, November 2004

Re: International Open Source Network Primers

BSA Open Letter to APDIP,  August 2005

Re: IOSN Primer on Localisation and Primer on Goverment Policy