Open Source
From Wiki4dev
Contents |
Resources
OSS is running the Internet : "We've known for years that upwards of 70% of web sites use Apache to power their sites. We also know that much of MySQL's thriving business comes from "Web 2.0" companies - the web runs MySQL (and a heck of a lot of Linux). What has been less clear is how much of the web that we see is managed by open source web content management systems."
UN F/LOSS directory "UNESCO is providing a specfic portal related to free and Open source Software. It gives access to documents and websites which are references for the Free Software/Open Source Technology movement. It is also a gateway to resources related to Free Software."
"UNDP's ICT Policy (ICTP) project officially launched the online Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) Resource Center website at www.opensource.uz to create a centralized repository of knowledge that will increase the awareness and adoption of open source technologies in Uzbekistan."
Web 2.0
Change.org lets NPOs/NGOs set up profiles and use change.org's social networking tools to enhance their visibility.
servenet.org lets NPOs/NGOs display volunteer opportunities
The World Bank has launched what they call the Buzz Monitor, which is an open source application built on top of Drupal that aggregates news feeds, the Bank seems to be using it to track their web 2.0 reputation.
Peer Production
Grid computing for Malaria, Slashdot coverage
Economics of Open Source
IPR and OSS
IP and Open Source "Open source can lead inventors, engineers, architects and business strategists to focus on areas where software is not a commodity. This often means that open source optimizes the creation of IP to focus on the problems that pain customers the most--for instance, where customers are willing to spend the most money--rather than technology that fits a particular business plan or strategy."
The Economics of Free is a blog on OSS and Universities.
UN Workshop on OSS : "The workshops were divided into 3 core segments each designed to deliver information and key skill sets appropriate to the needs of various IT Professionals and users. These include training for network administrators and IT support staff in the use LINUX and FOSS server-side applications; information sharing and training of NGOs and other development workers on FOSS alternatives to assist them in improving programme delivery as well as creating awareness among policy/decision makers in the public, private and civil society arena on such areas of FOSS policy as non-discriminatory procurement and indicators for assessing applicability of FOSS tools."
Open Source Globalization - "As open source blends more and more with the commercial software industry, this property of the open source phenomenon, which I will refer to as "open source globalization," may have an even higher impact on engineering jobs than IT offshoring. But this time, the news is not so bad for those who embrace the change."
OSS and Culture
[1] Lessig: Free Culture needs Free Software. "That transformation is the transformation from a read-only culture to a read/write culture where people participate in the creation and re-creation of software. "The most exciting explosion of the Internet for culture is the opportunity to revive read/write culture, not by eliminating read-only, but by complementing it."
OSS and Education
OEDB provides a list of success stories in education and open source, from Linux to MIT's OpenCourseWare
The UN University has joined the OpenCourseWare Consortium, an international partnership of higher education institutions and associated organisations creating a large body of open educational material using a shared digital model. Making good on a commitment to promote an "information society open to all"
OSS and Ed - "Futurelab's interest in this area stems from the belief that FLOSS provides an example of peer-production which is driven by collaborative, social modes of interaction and knowledge exchange. This paper discusses some of the potential ways in which the approaches that characterise FLOSS might be applied in educational contexts; specifically, whether they can act as a model for education."
