Open Source Initiative blogs

The OSI Categorically Rejects IIPA's special pleadings against Open Source

Michael Tiemann — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:47:26 +0000

Introduction

Moore's Law, Disk Law, and Fiber Law have created an economic engine for growth, promising exponentially improving computing, storage, and networking performance for the foreseeable future. And yet according to a 2003 UNCTAD report, "there has been no Moore's Law for software," and indeed it is because of software that computer systems have become more expensive, more complex, and less reliable.

Time To Rebut The IIPA's FUD Against Open Source

webmink — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:44:26 +0000

A recent blog posting at The Guardian about the US "Special 301" rules has generated deep concern around the global open source community.

I signed the Public Domain Manifesto

Michael Tiemann — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:44:08 +0000

You can read about it here and then decide for yourself whether to sign it as well.

Exporting Open Source from the US

nelson — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:41:31 +0000

If you distribute Open Source software containing encryption from the United States, you are subject to US export controls, yes. But are there any real restrictions? The only thing that the law requires you to do (for Open Source) is send an email to crypt@bxa.doc.gov with the URL. So why do SourceForge and Google impose greater restrictions than the law requires? Anybody know?

UPDATE 8-Feb-2010: Good news! SourceForge has turned off blanket restrictions, and made it a per-project choice. Unfortunately, they default to blocking, so everyone login to SF and declare your project to be freely redistributable to all! If you think your software might be subject to export control, then send your SF.net URL to the email address listed above. CC a copy to export@ our domain name and I'll keep a copy forever, as evidence that you complied with the law.

WordPress Foundation

Michael Tiemann — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:12:32 +0000

Yesterday Matt Mullenweg announced the establishment of the WordPress Foundation. It's goals, among others, are "to further the mission of the WordPress open source project: to democratize publishing through Open Source, GPL software".

He further elaborates:

The point of the foundation is to ensure free access, in perpetuity, to the projects we support. People and businesses may come and go, so it is important to ensure that the source code for these projects will survive beyond the current contributor base, that we may create a stable platform for web publishing for generations to come. As part of this mission, the Foundation will be responsible for protecting the WordPress, WordCamp, and related trademarks. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the WordPress Foundation will also pursue a charter to educate the public about WordPress and related open source software.

We hope to gather broad community support to make sure we can continue to serve the public good through freely accessible software.

Magic Lantern firmware makes Canon EOS 5D Mark II the camera Canon should have released

Michael Tiemann — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:35:31 +0000

I love stories of user-driven innovation. Here's one I just discovered: the Magic Lantern firmware upgrade for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera. Trammel Hudson tells the story of his elegant and vital hacks:

Magic Lantern introduction from Trammell Hudson on Vimeo.

Open Street Map helps Haiti relief projects

Michael Tiemann — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:38:11 +0000

This afternoon I heard this story on NPR. It's not the first time OpenStreetMap was mentioned as an asset in the relief effort. It was also mentioned three days ago in a story sourced from the Associated Press.

Sahana 2010 Haiti Disaster Relief Portal

Michael Tiemann — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:37:46 +0000

On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti 15 miles from its capital, Port-au-Prince. On January 14th, the Sahana team, based largely in Sri Lanka, launched its Haiti 2010 Disaster Relief Portal, including a Situation Map, an Organizations Registry, and an Activities Report.

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

Michael Tiemann — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 20:38:40 +0000

"There is nothing more tragic than to sleep through a revolution."

- from the Commencement Address for Oberlin College given by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., June 1965, Oberlin Ohio

Gource: Open Source visualization of Open Source

Michael Tiemann — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 13:48:11 +0000

Thanks to Greg DeKoenigsberg, I now know about Gource. You should, too. Watch this movie, which speaks for itself: