OSS Watch

Collaborative development projects have opened the door to much wider input than is the case in a closed development environment with subsequent improvements in price and performance. Open source reduces R&D costs, increases productivity, improves efficiency, facilitates interoperability and encourages innovation.

Why should software developers who create local customisations of open source software take the further step of submitting their changes back to the main project? While it takes more effort initially, having these changes integrated in the project becomes efficient in the long run: local modifications need not be re-applied at every upgrade, and the project takes over their maintenance. Also, by building up a record of useful contributions, one can gain influence in shaping the project's future.

The Apache community not only managed to survive and grow, while many other open source communities faced troubles or even disappeared, but furthermore Apache has become a real institution and is well-known and respected within the IT area. As a community brand, Apache offers many of the benefits described above. Community members do not only respond with high loyalty towards the brand, but furthermore serve as passionate brand evangelists.

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. The new Tr.im may be the most exciting thing to happen in URL shortening since now market leader Bit.ly itself launched.

IBM proved long ago that it's possible to build billion-dollar businesses with Apache. But SpringSource is the first start-up to suggest that Apache isn't simply a way for big companies to create complements to proprietary cores. Sometimes an Apache core is worth something, too. At least $420 million, by SpringSource's reckoning.

Should we dump all evangelism for Linux and Open Source? Should we immediately stop promoting it? Hardly. We simply need to go about it in a new way. Grab a ruler, pull out your behive hairdo and pick up an apple, because the new way to make converts is.....education.

Creating FOSS Allies Through Volunteerism

The Open Source Definition is somewhat limited in policing the use of the term. It seems steps are being taken to address that.

In just over three years, four companies that Fenton invested in while at his current firm Benchmark Capital, or previous one, Accel Partners, have sold for a combined $1.6 billion. Fenton, who ranks on Forbes' Midas List at No. 50, was an investor in JBoss Inc. (sold to Red Hat Inc. for $350 million), Zimbra Inc. (acquired by Yahoo Inc. for $350 million), and XenSource Inc. (bought by Citrix Systems Inc. for $500 million). So what are the ingredients he looks for in a potential open-source investment?

Given Oracle's aggressive discounts, including its willingness to buy out the remainder of a customer's Red Hat contract, as Gartner reports, one would think that it would be flying high. But it's not. OEL has roughly 2 percent market share, compared to Red Hat's 60 percent market share. Enterprises aren't stupid: if Oracle's Linux story were compelling, they'd be buying. But they're clearly not.

Good balanced IT policy that balances open vs closed source interests

Free online courses, Wiki universities, Facebook-style tutoring networks -- American higher education is changing.

And the best open source license is …

Time and time again is that the best- in-class open source companies knowingly or unknowingly followed this formula: D x CR x ASP = $$ (or € £)

Framework for thinking strategically about Mozilla grantmaking, to help guide the choice of problem areas in which Mozilla organizations might make grants and the creation of detailed strategies for each such area. The goal is for Mozilla to be a catalyst in spurring innovations and addressing problems in areas relevant to the Mozilla mission that are important for the future of the open web but have been relatively neglected by us or others who share our vision and values.

while IT operations is the crux of making sales in open source, it might well be that open-source companies should focus on community development and avoid making too much money so that they can maintain a healthy valuation.

How do we evaluate open source work in an academic setting?

"No amount of general 'Just jump in, please join us!' shouting will work if the potential contributors you're trying to reach don't think that any such invitation could possibly be directed towards them.

We generally feel that through developing most of our infrastructure code in public there are various benefits for us as a commercial vendor.

examined a number of examples where foundations have begun to take advantage of new licensing models for materials and resources produced by their own staff, their consultants and their grantees.