Open Source Initiative blogs

OSI Board approves GPL v3 and LGPL v3

Michael Tiemann — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:58:03 -0700

The GPL v3 and LGPL v3 were unanimously approved by the OSI board at our monthly board meeting this week. Since this is a personal blog, I'd like to personally acknowledge all those who made it possible:

My resolve to treat Microsoft like any another license submitter is being sorely tested.

esr — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 20:25:29 -0700

There's been a lot of debate in the community about how OSI should properly handle Microsoft's planned submission of some of its licenses for OSD certification. That debate has been been going on within OSI, too.

OSI's official position, from the beginning, which I helped formulate and have expressed to any number of reporters and analysts, is that OSI will treat any licenses submitted to Microsoft strictly on their merits, without fear or favor. That remains OSI's position. But...

Why companies?

nelson — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:41:05 -0700

I never quite have understood why the mainstream press concentrates so much on what companies are doing. For example, see Jon Brodkin's NetWorld article, wherein he talks about nine open source companies to watch. Maybe they write more about companies with funding because they're the people more likely to buy advertising than nonprofit projects. Yes, I'm aware of the so-called wall between editorial and advertising, but that just says that editors can write whatever they want, even about advertisers.

TCS Wide Area Network Emulator becomes open source

Michael Tiemann — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:03:48 -0700

In 2005 I visited India for the first time. It was a whirlwind tour and one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. The purpose of my visit was to promote open source based on my own experiences, and to get a first-hand understanding of the challenges and opportunities for open source in the world's most populous democracy.

Walking With Elephants -- A smart new blog

Michael Tiemann — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 07:00:40 -0700

Mark Webbink has launched a new blog called Walking With Elephants. If Mark had been a developer working on glibc he might have gotten away with "Dances With Wolves", but as a lawyer who has spent many years working with some of the largest software companies in the world, his title is certainly apt. As is his tag line: The Guy With The Shovel.

What I Learned from the Libertarians

Michael Tiemann — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:16:05 -0700

Earlier this summer I attended an event featuring Diane Rehm, host of The Diane Rehm Show. At a time when the radio talk show format seems to have reached a point where the only way to be heard is to yell, and where the outrageous behavior of the host becomes news far more important than the subjects they cover, Diane Rehm steadfastly refuses to be drawn into the fray. Her show is a forum of respect for ideas and the people who choose to express those ideas. The most aggressive thing I've ever heard her say in response to a guest is "I'm sorry Mr. So-and-so, but that's just not true." And of course, she's right: when Mr. So-and-so tries to jam the air with counter-factual information, she and her line of producers are vigilant, but not disrespectful. The result has been a remarkable opportunity to hear ideas discussed and developed rather than packaged, ram-rodded, or pilloried.

Dilbert and Open Source

nelson — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:29:50 -0700

Dilbert mentions Open Source today. Or, rather, his boss mentions it "because it's free." Which it is, but it's the freedom to run, modify, and share software that's important.

Some thoughts on OSI structure

Ken Coar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 05:13:51 -0700

The issue of whether OSI should shift from the current limited board composition to be a [potentially] representative member-based structure has been a fairly long-standing question. However, it has been gaining more traction and attention of late, and we have a forum here on the OSI site for discussions about it.

Yesterday I seeded the forum with some of the basic questions about the topic, and we invite your thoughts and participation. Let us know what you think!

Design and the Bottom Line

Michael Tiemann — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 06:54:17 -0700

The Impact of Design on Stock Market Performance dates back to 2004, but the kernel of truth it reveals could be even more stunning for the world of open source. Here is the teaser from the Dexiner (pronounced Designer) website:

Design is a critical component of business performance. We’ve heard designers, commentators and companies say it. But, to date, the evidence for the link between shareholder return and investment in design has been scarce and anecdotal.
[...]
read more

Do We Need To Stifle Creativity of OSS Developers?

Michael Tiemann — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:28:08 -0700

I first met Pierre Fricke in late 1998 or early 1999 when he was working for IBM. He was one of four people charged by IBM to research and evaluate the strategic implications of open source software for IBM's business. Because I was a founder of the world's first open source company, he was keen to understand what I saw back in 1989, what I saw looking to 1999 and beyond, and whether our experience (which earned upwards of $24M of revenue in 1999) could possibly inform the strategy for a company more than 1000x our size.