Doctor Recommended

Open source organizations

I have several friends that are either working on an open-source project or are looking for a project to work on. Because of this (and the fact that the power went out and somehow managed to scramble the text of 20+ documents into Klingon and Webdings) I would like to explain several organizations that help friends like mine cut their teeth on open-sourced projects.

In August of 2000, VA Linux System (now VA Software) launched the Open Source Development Network. This is one of the largest communities of open-source developers, as it is a conglomerate of well-known, high-profile sites which cover everything from news to hosting to education and discussion (similar to how the GameSpy network is to the gaming community -- though they don't host projects).

SourceForge - is the world's largest Open Source software development web site, providing free hosting to tens of thousands of projects. Collectrix is a case-in-point example as to how a company can utilize the projects hosted by SourceForge. Collectrix is entirely open-sourced based using the LAMP model (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP). The content-management system both Collectrix and BlogPromtion use is MamboServer, a SourceForge project. The blogging software we install by default is Cafelog, a SourceForge project.

Savannah - is a central point for development, distribution and maintenance of GNU Software. The GNU project is the driving force behind many of the well-known open-source projects, most notably Linux. Savannah is similar to SourceForge only with a more “pure” geek twist (you’d have to meet or talk to the guys that make up this software movement to understand completely). They host about 1500 projects altogether and just like SourceForge you can start up your own and have them host it for free (libre, gratis, etc.).

Mozilla - If you are familiar with Mozilla it is most probably because of Netscape, which created this open-source community as a last ditch effort to stay alive back in ‘98 (at least that’s one side of the story). Anyways, Mozilla is really a software suite with dozens of smaller open-source projects merged together. Coincidentally, most of the projects are geared around web-based applications like: browsers, email clients and newsgroup readers.

OpenOffice – This was originally an office suite developed by a German company (StarDivision) and acquired by Sun Microsystems back in ’99. Just like the “commercial” version of Mozilla is called Netscape, OpenOffice is dubbed StarOffice, so as to impress would-be consumers (“I don’t own just any old Office, I own StarOffice”). There are multiple open-source projects hosted by the OO group, one of which integrates XML-based standards into the suite – something that Microsoft ‘reluctantly’ won’t do for all of its Office 2003 product line.

The Apache Foundation - is a natural outgrowth of The Apache Group, a group of individuals that was initially formed in 1995 to develop the Apache HTTP Server. In 1996 Apache overtook both the NCSA and Other (hehe, most probably Novell) webserving software in terms of market share. As of February 2003, more than 11 million servers use Apache as the webserver (if you see 8080 in a link, they use Apache), which amounts to about 67% of the entire market. Microsoft is the next big player, with over 4 million uniformed webhosts using Microsoft’s IIS software (~25% of the total market). Anyways, they host and help organize dozens of open-source projects including those geared around PHP, Java and XML.

Scriptlance – this is a company similar to eBay in which they facilitate bidding on projects (not strictly open-sourced). For instance, if you’re a webmaster that needs a content management system developed or maintained all you have to do is post the project requirements on Scriptlance and programmers will bid for it. For programmers this is a great way to gain both experience and exposure, especially if you live outside North America. Note: this is the very machination that Ed Yourdon and others described 10 years ago with the decline of the American programmer (many cheap and efficient programmers from Russia and India bid there).

LinuxFund – these guys help fund open source projects with scholarships and grants. If you think you’re all that and a bag of chips check them out. No, I currently do not have a seat on their Oversite Committee, but I still accept monetary donations.

Now that you know where you can strut your stuff, I will compile a list of actual projects that you might enjoy working on (like MySQL, PHP, GAIM, GIMP, etc.).

Posted by Tim at April 24, 2003 04:53 PM | TrackBack