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Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) is heading to Eclipsecon!

grouss's picture

Eclipsecon is the grand forum, where the masterminds of open source software go to share their knowledge and gain exciting new talents, as their peers provide them with the latest updates. Where open source colleagues collaborate and do whiteboard planning for the next generation of APIs and features. Eclipsecon, the forum for OS aficionados to speak and create the most revolutionary tools on the planet.

In Through the Out Door

Andrew Grant's picture

OK, so it’s tough out there, what did you expect? Yet a FOSS start-up needs to get customers and big corporates need innovative ideas like never before. We really “get” global competition now and if we aren’t selling something useful or making it in the most efficient way then someone else is going to be eating from our Bento box.

Clichés aside for a moment, consider this; start-ups use open source software to bootstrap themselves -- they have an idea, they have a rough guess at product-market fit and they work on a prototype. Guess what, they may have misjudged the demand. They think, in fact they’re certain, there’s a market out there for their product/service but they just don’t know for sure exactly what is going to be required to make it a viable, buyable product.

CFP: Legal and Licensing Aspects of Open Source at OWF 2011

tbm's picture

Licensing is an important component of every free software and open source project. This is especially true as an increasing number of corporations are adopting and distributing open source applications and code. This track considers various legal and licensing aspects of open source, both from a community and a corporate perspective.

This track is a great opportunity for you to discuss legal and licensing aspects of open source with lawyers, decision makers, open source developers and other people who are interested in legal aspects of open source.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of topics we would like to cover:

Lessons learned from Munich's migration to Linux

tbm's picture

I attended LinuxTag in Berlin last week and there was a very interesting presentation about the state of Munich's migration to Linux on the desktop. Andreas Heinrich explained that their goal is to migrate 80% of the 15000 desktops to Linux. At the moment, 6200 desktops have been migrated and they intend to have a total of 8500 Linux desktops by the end of the year.

Here are some of the key lessons they shared with the audience:

Only when you leave: Exit Strategies and Pre-Nups

Andrew Grant's picture

Regular readers will be aware that lock-in is a favourite topic for comparing and contrasting with Open Source licensing schemes. Lock-in can occur in a number of ways from the subtle to the insidious. Making the move from an existing vendor to FOSS may be the beginning of a beautiful new relationship but also could mean a breakdown in the formerly cosy relationship with your previous partner. Indeed it's only when you leave that that you can see the value of a well thought through exit strategy and maybe even a pre-nup. As always, let the buyer beware – and here are a few examples of lock-in to consider.