Information Technology

Open Source - Fresh Memes in Information/Knowledge Sharing (a feast of the commons? / percolation?)

This list does not attempt to be exhaustive. It provides links to sources we have found particularly useful, and to other more comprehensive lists of sources on the subject.

Open Standards & Protocols / Interoperability

Free Software Foundation

Open Source Software

Open Source & Education

Groklaw

Tangential News

Books

Sampling of open source related technologies & projects

Other

Elsewhere off this site:  .html Intellectual Property   alternative memes and   Linux

  MIT to Make Nearly all course material available free on the World Wide Web "unprecedented step challenges the privatization of knowledge" MIT News - April 4 2001

Linux: Corporate Interest

  Open season Glyn Moody says that Microsoft may rule desktop PCs today, but a serious rival is now on its way Thursday January 30, 2003 The Guardian

  Banks Want to Swim With Penguin By Michelle Delio 02:00 AM Feb. 03, 2003
"Linux is probably the only good news that we've had in the financial industry over the past couple of years," said Keith Codell, a systems administrator for a Wall Street firm. "Linux is reliable -- it never crashes, it's secure. Wouldn't it be sweet if the market was more like Linux?"
"The call for RMDS for Linux has been astounding," said Peter Lankford, head of real-time content-management systems for Reuters. "And the response from our beta testers, even those who initially dismissed Linux as 'experimental technology,' has been overwhelmingly positive.
"They saw performance improvements and cost savings. These folks are bankers, and they know you almost never get more for less -- but this time they did."
Reuters began beta testing RMDS for Linux in October. Lankford wouldn't reveal names, but said the RMDS beta was tested in six of the world's largest financial institutions.
"I have to admit I was shocked at the complete lack of negative feedback," Casey Merkey, global program manager for RMDS on Linux. "You always get negative feedback in beta tests."
Merkey said that even the customers who were not convinced they wanted to use a Linux system converted quickly once they started using it.
"Some of our more challenging customers suddenly became my very best friends," he said.
Financial industry heavyweights such as Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse First Boston, Goldman Sachs Group and E-Trade have all announced major Linux deployments in recent months.

  01/27/03; Vol. 17 No. 20 Disruptive technologies by Joab Jackson

  Developers turn to Linux 10:26 Tuesday 28th January 2003 Reuters Source: Reuters LinuxWorld: High prices and unreliable systems drive programmers to switch platforms from Windows to Linux, although Microsoft continues to dominate the desktop

  Reuters introduces Linux-based market data feeds Reuters, 02.03.03, 12:01 AM ET

  Rise of the 'Consumer' Linux Distribution LinuxPosted by michael on Wednesday February 05, 2003

  Group Hopes to Give New Life to Desktop Linux By Thor Olavsrud 5 February 2003

  Life looks good for Linux BBC 22 January, 2003

  Could Linux dethrone the software king? By Richard Waters Published: January 21 2003, January 22 2003 edition   Slashdot FT on Europe's Open Source Option "The Financial Times offers a very interesting read about Linux, its possibilities for business, and its threat to Microsoft. Also a second article about "Europe's open-source option"."

  Linux makes new PC waves, and profits Jim Cole January 17, 2003

  Linux and the market's big geographic change

  Bank's faith in Linux pays dividends (Communications /Network infrastructure /)

  More foreign banks switching to Linux

  EL Today: Massive CSFB Trading Architecture Now Powered by Red Hat

  Wall Street Embraces Linux (Forbes)

  FT (& American Banker) Why Linux made inroads at Financial Institutions (FT)

  "Why I feel Linux will fundamentally change the Information Technology Industry" IBM 2000 Annual Report

  Linux waddles from obscurity to the big time Momentum builds as upstart operating system proves it can compute (USA Today August 2002)

  Larry Ellison: Oracle Betting On Linux By Dan Orzech December 20, 2002: Oracle is seeing a huge trend towards Linux, says the company's CEO, and is pitching its new database clustering technology as the ideal way to take advantage of the open source operating system and low-cost Intel hardware. Move aside, IBM. Oracle is jumping on the Linux bandwagon.

  IDC: Linux Becoming Entrenched in Capital Markets By Thor Olavsrud Linux is well on its way to becoming entrenched in capital markets, with leading edge firms turning to the platform for mission-critical applications, according to a new report by IDC Financial Services (the fruit of IDC's acquisition of Meridien Research). December 19, 2002

  Free Linux operating system wins some big-name fans By Kim Peterson Seattle Times technology reporter December 23, 2002

  Microsoft should 'fear the Penguin' By Robert Jaques [10-01-2003] Goldman Sachs spells out a stark warning to Redmond - "Microsoft should "fear the Penguin" as Linux moves into the heart of corporate IT infrastructures, according to Goldman Sachs...The investment bank is optimistic about the future of the open source operating system in its Fear the Penguin study."

  Wall St. leans toward Linux By LUCAS MEARIAN OCTOBER 21, 2002 Source: Computerworld With a handful of key Wall Street brokerage firms acting as icebreakers, Linux is quickly gaining ground on Unix and Windows as a mission-critical operating system within the securities industry. The attractions: its flexibility across systems and the savings it yields through the use of commodity hardware. "The list of people in the queue who are saying 'When I have a new project, I'm going to use Linux' is larger than we can handle," said Rick Carey, chief technology architect at Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York. "I'd say it will be significant over the next year. A majority of new projects are interested in Linux."

  Feature: Counting on Linux By jack mccarthy 9 January, 2003 8:02 san francisco, U.S. "At financial services giant Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., CTO John McKinley is blazing a trail to boost productivity and enhance ROI with his strategy. And that trail has led him to pursue a company-wide deployment of Linux open-source software. McKinley says Linux is ready for prime time and set to take on increasing responsibility in the datacenter. "The speed of the evolution of the Linux story has surprised even me," he says... CTOs of major enterprises such as Merrill Lynch, which claimed US$21.8 billion in revenue in 2001, are adopting Linux in increasing numbers and scale. These chief technologists, spurred by the new reality of leaner, meaner IT budgets, cite savings in hardware and software costs as well as benefits of the operating system's stability and scalability. A 2002 Forrester Research Inc. survey found that of 286 IT decision-makers, 28 percent plan to use Linux for enterprise application servers in 2003 and 31 percent plan to use Linux for Web servers. Chief technologists are reporting favorable results, experts say. They say doubts about Linux are gradually disappearing as the OS gains acceptance and support from big-name vendors such as IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. "

  Nimble edge slowly erodes for Microsoft January 13, 2003

Linux: Cost Savings + Superior Technology

  Slashdot | Amazon: Linux Saved Us Millions

  Amazon saves millions with Linux switch - Tech News - CNET.com

  Google's Linux (not so) Secret

  Google's open-source secrets

  Google Web Directory - Computers > Open Source > Advocacy

  MS paper touts Unix in Hotmail's Win2k switch By Thomas C Greene in Washington Posted: 21/11/2002

  Intel's Linux use saved $200 million in two years - Inside Intel's IT department

  Linux project gives schools networks at fraction of Windows cost

  Feature: Linux a cheaper choice

  Samba Runs Rings around Windows 2000 "Connecting" Linux to Windows (estimated 100% better performance, 4 times the scalability)

  SGI Demos 64-Proc Linux Box

Linux: Database

  Turbolinux 7 Server and IBM DB2 set performance record

Linux: Super Computing

  IBM: Linux is the 'logical successor' The day is approaching when Linux will likely replace IBM's version of Unix, says the company's top software executive. February 03, 2003

  IBM throwing its weight behind Linux By Stephen Shankland Special to ZDNet News January 29, 2003 NEW YORK--The day is approaching when Linux will likely replace IBM's version of Unix, the company's top software executive said, an indication that the upstart operating system's stature is rising within Big Blue.

  Linux to enter supercomputing top five

  Implications of Linux supercomputers for AMD, Intel

  $24.5 Million Linux Supercomputer by HP

  HP to build Linux supercomputer - Hewlett-Packard announced a high-profile contract Tuesday to build a Linux-powered supercomputer for the U.S. Department of Energy.

  HP creates off-the-shelf (top 500) supercomputer   Slashdot story

  Linux Supercomputer Howls by IBM

  Linux clusters scale better and cost less 12:43 Monday 4th November 2002 Grant Gross Linux clusters can scale better than supercomputers, and have good administrations tools. Plus -- they are much cheaper

  Linux Scales New Heights Ideas 2003 CIO Magazine Jan 1 2003

  top 500 supercomputers

Government Interest

  India gives thumbs up to Linux By Nick Farrell [02-01-2003]

  Indian Government Moves to Let Linux In Linux BusinessPosted by CowboyNeal on Thursday December 26, 2002 Webi writes "The government of India has started taking precise, wide-reaching steps to usher in a Linux wave in India." India sure seems to be a highly contested arena lately. Interestingly, India's plan calls for government-sponsored support and call centers. Looks like they've really thought this through.   Govt move on to let in Linux PRASENJIT BHATTACHARYA TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2002 12:54:49 PM ]

  Linux and the market's big geographic change

  European Union IDA Study On Open Source Software "Study into the use of open source software in the public sector" (September 2001)

  Free/Libre and Open Source Software: Survey and Study Institute of Infonomics at the University of Maastricht, Netherlands (July 2002)

  German gov deal offers Linux great leap forward in Europe

  US Navy using Linux

  Norwegian Statskonsult Endorses Linux/Open Source Software for the Public Sector (August 2001, English Translation, pdf)
  Rapport 2001:7 Åpen programvare - "anvendelighetene av Linux og annen åpen programvare i statlig forvaltning"

  Norway snubs Microsoft also   Norway says No Way to Microsoft

  Germany likes Linux by John Blau, October 30, 2002

  Open source seeks growth in government market By Gretel Johnston October 30, 2002

  New Zealand Open letter "consider an official position favouring 'open source' software (OSS) for computing in the government and in business." ... "Countries like Mexico, Brazil, France, and China are already considering legislation to favour OSS deployment in government institutions, schools, and in business."

  Venezuela's Government Shifts to Open Source Software (August 2002)

  MS in Peruvian Open Source Nightmare off The Register and including link to   "the original letter" (in Spanish) and   "the FUD letter from Microsoft" (in Spanish)   Another copy of the letter in answer to MS (which including some of the Merits of Open Source) DR. Edgar David Villanueva Nuñez, Congressman of the Republica of Perú. http://slashdot.org/articles/02/05/04/220237.shtml?tid=117 Slashdot: Free Software Law in Peruvian Congress

  Project Ägypten (Free Software Sphinx-Clients) German Government funds secure mail project, potentially saving its businesses and tax paying populace £$ millions - and potentially those of other nations as well (a feast of the commons?). "The Sphinx project launched by German authorities aims to improve secure email exchange... Proprietary products are already on the way, but with the project Ägypten there is now also a Free Software solution going to be realized for popular mail user agents (sphinx-enabling KMail and mutt are essential goals)."

  Interface: The Penguin catches on in the Middle East Linux is emerging as a viable alternative operating system for businesses all over the world

  City saves with Linux, thin clients - The sun is shining on Linux in the Florida Panhandle. At a time when Microsoft Windows dominates the corporate desktop, the City of Largo has chosen Linux.

  Governments - Philippines, Denmark, Eastern Europe Linux?

  UK Government backs open source

  U.K. government backs open source

  UK unveils Open Source policy, may make it 'default' option

  Exploiting [irreprable!] design flaws in the Win32 API for privilege escalation.   Slashdot (Shattering Windows)

General Interest

  Is Linux poised to topple Microsoft? CNN September 4, 2002

  Survey: Linux growing

  Are the Floodgates Opening on Microsoft?

Open Infrastructure

  HP to W3C: We Support Royalty-Free Standards for the Web Infrastructure Oct 4, 2001

  Learning to Love the Penguin "I set out to use nothing but Linux for a month. Cold turkey." Geoff Palmer, New Zealand, Monday, 1 October, 2001    

  PHP Overtakes Microsoft's ASP as Web's #1 Server- side Scripting Language

Who is hostile?

  Lead Windows developer bugged by security

  MS 'Software Choice' scheme a clever fraud By Bruce Perens

  What Gates' attacks on the GPL really mean - Richard Stallman

  Microsoft Attacks Free Software Developers with New License

  MS disappears claim that Windows is legal requirement

  Crashing computers cost U.K. billions (needless to say this one is about someone else's computers/software/OS)

  'Think Tank' Issues Microsoft-Funded Troll as reported/commented-upon on Slashdot

  Initiative for Software Choice " a global initiative promoting neutral government procurement, standards and public R&D policies for software!"

  Electronic Frontier Foundation

  Free Software Foundation "all information should be shared"

  FSF - Free Software Foundation "The Free Software Foundation (FSF), founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software - particularly the GNU operating system(used widely today in its GNU/Linux variant)--- and free (as in freedom) documentation. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software."

  FSF Europe - Free Software Foundation Europe

  GNU's Not Unix! "The GNU Project was launched in 1984 to develop a complete Unix-like operating system which is free software: the GNU system.(GNU is a recursive acronym for `GNU's Not Unix'; it is pronounced 'guh-NEW'.)"

  Philosophy of the GNU Project

  Free Software Licenses

The Gnu Public Licence - GPL provides the following freedoms subject to the conditions that may be summarised as follows (This is a RA summary of the GPL (2002w17) and has not been approved by the FSF (Free Software Foundation)):

GPL software shall remain GPL as summarised above.

Opinion: This is the licence that guarantees protection the (core or heart of the) Software Commons and is in my opinion   Richard Stallman's single greatest contribution, (under which much wonderful code has been produced and is protected. The power of Linux development is not so necessarily tied to Gnu as it is the GPL! - thank you Stallman, thank you Torvalds and all who have contributed to GPL software development).

  Richard Stallman's Personal Home Page

  Don't fear the GPL

  Open Sources : Voices from the Open Source Revolution 1st Edition January 1999, O'Reilly & Associates The Open Source Story

  Open Source Initiative (OSI) "a non-profit corporation dedicated to managing and promoting the Open Source Definition for the good of the community, specifically through the OSI Certified Open Source Software certification mark and program."

  Open Source Project Site hosted by VA Linux

  League for Programming Freedom "The League for Programming Freedom is an organization that opposes software patents and user interface copyrights."

  Open Source Writers Group

  Open Source IT

  OSI - Open Source Inc

  Salon's Free Software Project

  Online Linux Story Andrew Leonard

  SalonMagazine - Open Source

  PC Magazine - Open Source

  OReilly - Open Source

  Open Code   Berkman Center for Internet and Society   The Power of Open Code

  SourceXchange O'Reilly & HP

  Open Source's - Eric Steven Raymond   projects   random writings

  Bruce Perens Personal Home Page (now with HP)

  Center for the Public Domain

  The Open Group sponsored by Compaq, Fujutsu, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, Hitachi Siemens, IBM, Motorola, Sun

  IETF - Internet Engineering Task Force

  Open p2p O'Reilly

  Standards Organisations (not all of them open standards bodies)

  W3C - World Wide Web Consortium questionable - flirting with dubious ideas (contemplating a false turn)

  OASIS - Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards

  Internet Society

  Linux Standard Base "Standardizing the Penguin" of the   Free Standards Group

  League for Programming Freedom   Against Software Patents February 28, 1991 "The League for Programming Freedom is an organization that opposes software patents and user interface copyrights"

  Free Patents Organisation "Protecting Innovation & Competition in the IT Industry - Protect business and liberty from software patents" Europe

  Simple End User Linux a volunteer project currently focussing on Linux in Education, Linux in Science and Advocacy Documents

  Open Source Education Foundation "Superior technology in and for schools - enhancing technology for K12 Education"

  Why should open source software be used in schools? ***

  Nations Uniting for Open Source

  Nations Uniting for Open Source (supplement)

  EU Software Patent Hearing Report is Online

  Linux in the schools

  Learning to Love the Penguin I set out to use nothing but Linux for a month. Cold turkey. Geoff Palmer, New Zealand, Monday, 1 October, 2001    

  koha, the first open source integrated library system

  Groklaw

  Open Source Advocacy @ Google

  Open Source Advocacy @ Dmoz

  Linux

  Linux @ Google

  Linux @ Dmoz

  Google also see   Google Advanced Search and   Google Directory and   Google Advanced NewsGroups Search

  Dmoz Open Directory

  GPG - The GNU Privacy Guard (Open PGP)

  The DotGNU Project

  Open ssh (Secure shell) - secure remote computing

  VNC - Virtual Network Computing remote computer desktop access over a wide variety of architectures.

  Samba file sharing between linux and windows

  Apache

  TWikki "a flexible, powerful, and easy to use Web-based collaboration platform. Use TWiki to run a project development space, a document management system, a knowledge base, or any other groupware tool, on an intranet or on the internet. Web content can be created collaboratively by using just a browser"    

  Zope "the leading Open Source web application server. Zope enables teams to collaborate in the creation and management of dynamic web-based business applications such as intranets and portals. Zope makes it easy to build features such as site search, news, personalization, and e-commerce into your web applications."

  DocBook

  Nupedia "We are building the world's largest international, peer-reviewed encyclopedia." (check)

  Wikipedia "a collaborative project to produce a complete encyclopedia from scratch"

  OpenOffice "an Open Source community project building the next generation of office-productivity software. Sponsored by Sun Microsystems, Inc., and hosted by CollabNet, Inc., OpenOffice.org provides the full infrastructure for global, Open Source community work and growth."

  AbiWord seamlessly cross-platform, Open Source Word Processor by AbiSource   GNOME Office - AbiWord

  KOffice a free, integrated office suite by   KDE (K Desktop Environment) for and Linux/Unix

  Gnome desktop environment

  Window Maker an X11 window manager

  Classic themes dot org   themes dot org   PostgreSQL

  MySQL

  MySQL dot com

  PostgreSQL "is a sophisticated Object-Relational DBMS, supporting almost all SQL constructs, including subselects, transactions, and user-defined types and functions. It is the most advanced open-source database available anywhere."

  Perl programming language

  Python programming language

  Ruby programming language

  HP creates off-the-shelf supercomputer   slashdot

  Ogg Vorbis "fully Open, non-proprietary, patent-and-royalty-free, general purpose compressed audio format for high quality"

  Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution (online) (1st Edition January 1999)

  Free as in Freedom - Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software by Sam Williams (2002)

  Linux Story Online by Andrew Leonard

  The Cathedral & the Bazaar - Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary Eric S. Raymond @ tuxedo.org

  Free for All: How LINUX and the Free Software Movement Undercut the High-Tech Titans by Peter Wayner (2000)   @amazon

  @amazon: Open Source: The Unauthorized White Papers by Donald K. Rosenberg (2000)

  @amazon: Rebel Code: Linux and the Open Source Revolution by Glyn Moody (2001)

  @amazon: Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace by Lawrence Lessig (2000)

  "Information on Microsoft's 'Shared Source' Lincensing" by Bernhard Rosenkraenzer

  Open Group a vendor and technology-neutral consortium committed to delivering greater business efficiency by bringing together buyers and suppliers of information technology to lower the time, cost and risk associated with integrating new technology across the enterprise.