open source
See the following -
5 Myths Busted: Using Open Source in Higher Education
Have you ever heard someone say, "It's impossible to do X with Linux"? Me too. This is the story of how I busted the myths about open source in my own head and used Linux to finish my PhD in fine arts. Many people think non-technical students can't use Linux, and they make a lot of assumptions about people who use it in their advanced degree programs. They scoff and reply with something along the lines of, "Well, of course; those people do 'computer stuff,' but in my [lofty, important, unique area] it's just not possible." Well, it is possible, and I'm proof...
- Login to post comments
5 open source dashboard tools for visualizing data
To start with a confession, I like dashboards. A lot. I've always been fascinated by finding new and interesting ways to bring meaning to data with interactive visualization tools. While I'm definitely a geek for numbers, the human mind is simply much better at interpreting trends visually than it is just picking them out a spreadsheet. And even when your main interest in a dataset is the raw numbers themselves, a dashboard can help to bring meaning by highlighting which values matter most, and what the context of those numbers is...
- Login to post comments
5 Open Source Natural Language Processing Tools
Open source is chock full of high-quality libraries to solve common problems in text processing like sentiment analysis, topic identification, automatic labeling of content, and more. More importantly, open source also provides many building block libraries that make it easy for you to innovate without having to reinvent the wheel. If all of this stuff is giving you flashbacks to your high school grammar classes, not to worry—we've included some useful resources at the end to brush up your knowledge as well as explain some of the key concepts around natural language processing (NLP). To begin your journey, check out these projects...
- Login to post comments
5 Open-Source Technologies Powering The Army's Battlefield Cloud
Cloud computing has, without a doubt, forever changed military intelligence, according to Army and contractor executives working on the Distributed Common Ground System-Army Standard Cloud (DSC) in Afghanistan. Read More »
- Login to post comments
5 Reasons Professors Should Encourage Students to Get Involved in Open Source Projects
I've been supporting student participation in humanitarian free and open source software (HFOSS) projects for over a decade. I've seen students get motivated and excited by working in a professional community while they learn and mature professionally. Out of the many reasons for supporting student participation in open source, here are five of the most compelling reasons...
- Login to post comments
5 Things I Learned at TEDGlobal
The theme at TEDGlobal this year was "Radical Openness," indicating the effects of open-source technology, collaboration, social media, and DIY invention on our world. Read More »
- Login to post comments
50 Open Source Replacements For Health Care Software
According to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers Study, 79 percent of health care executives anticipate an increase on their technology spending this year. With "Meaningful Use" considerations weighing heavily on the industry, many will be investing in or upgrading their electronic health record (EHR) capabilities. [...] Read More »
- Login to post comments
50 Open Source Technologies/Projects to Look Out for in 2012
The open source movement continues to strengthen every year, such that no matter who you are, what software you use, what book you read, whatever you do somewhere along the line open source software is in use. Read More »
- Login to post comments
6 Examples Of Open Source Best Practices In Knowledge-Sharing Projects
The very effort of creating open source software is a massive knowledge-sharing experience, covering all the domains of software development with many methods and practices. Although there is rarely only one way to achieve a goal, open source communities have, over time, honed their knowledge into best practices as a natural byproduct of the open collaboration and transparency passed on within their respective communities. But what about best practices that span communities, which are useful beyond the unique needs of a single project and broadly applicable to any and all open source software efforts? I'll look at six different knowledge-sharing communities that take six approaches to gathering, maintaining, and distributing their best practices.
- Login to post comments
6 Growing Pains of Open Source Organizations That You Can Avoid
Everything has a season, and as organizations age—communities, charities, companies, churches and more—they face similar diseases of time. These are emergent patterns of failure that arise not from mistakes but from the consequences of earlier success. In open source, we are seeing the same patterns emerge; this should not be a surprise. Some of them are unavoidable. Understanding them helps leaders reduce the risk that will arise and helps identify them when they do. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but we have encountered all of these modes of systemic failure, some of them often...
- Login to post comments
6 remarkable features of the new United Nations open source initiative
The United Nations wants to make technology, software, and intellectual property available to everyone, including developing countries. Open source and free software are great tools to achieve this goal since open source is all about empowering people and global collaboration while protecting the personal data and privacy of users. So, the United Nations and the open source community share the same values. This new open source strategy and policy is developed by the United Nations Technology Innovation Labs (UNTIL). Last month, we had our first in-person meeting in Helsinki in the UNTIL offices. I find this initiative remarkable for several reasons:
- Login to post comments
6 Ways Programmers from Underrepresented Countries Can Get Ahead
Becoming a programmer from an underrepresented community like Cameroon is tough. Many Africans don't even know what computer programming is-and a lot who do think it's only for people from Western or Asian countries. I didn't own a computer until I was 18, and I didn't start programming until I was a 19-year-old high school senior, and had to write a lot of code on paper because I couldn't be carrying my big desktop to school. I have learned a lot over the past five years as I've moved up the ladder to become a successful programmer from an underrepresented community. While these lessons are from my experience in Africa, many apply to other underrepresented communities, including women.
- Login to post comments
7 Cool Little Open Source Projects That Stood Out in 2016
In the early days of the open source movement, a lot of the attention was on operating systems, and later on large content management systems. These days, containers are mentioned regularly even in mainstream news outlets. The big tech stories are great, but they miss the other great activity in the niches of the open source space. I've rounded up seven interesting lesser-known projects from the past year. You can see more articles about projects like this in my Nooks and Crannies column...
- Login to post comments
7 Mistakes Your Open Source Project is Probably Making
It can be tough to start a new open source project. You have an awesome idea in your head, but it takes work to turn it into a productive, healthy, engaging community. Sadly (as seems to be the case in practically anything), the same mistakes are made over and over again by new projects. Here are some of the most common mistakes open source projects make and my recommendations for avoiding them... Of the thousands of open source projects that kick off, too many get stuck at the outset because of a bunch of discussions on a Slack channel, mailing list, issue, or elsewhere. The discussions bounce around the house, and the scope often grows more and more lavish to incorporate the many, sundry ideas and considerations...
- Login to post comments
7 Myths About Open Sourcing Your Company's Software - The Real Story

Many companies benefit from open source, and countless companies have opted to open source components of their infrastructure (or even their bread and butter) in an effort to give back. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about what happens when you open up your business' code and workflows to the public, and as companies delve into how to apply open principles within their organization, it's easy to get lost in the weeds. Here are some common misconceptions about what happens when you open source your code...
- Login to post comments