OStatic

Many say that the web is becoming the desktop. How soon, and how completely, that will happen is anyone's guess, but it is undeniable more desktop applications are delivered through browsers. There are advantages: user interfaces don't change between operating systems, web applications aren't platform specific, and work can be done at any computer with a network connection.

There are sizable disadvantages. Who can access (or alter) information stored in a web application? Who actually owns it? Reading an application's Terms of Service is crucial on the user's end. Free Software Magazine explains why an open license is crucial for all involved.

The Linux Plumbers Conference may have ended last Friday, but the discussions -- and one discussion in particular -- will be analyzed, deconstructed, and argued for quite a bit longer.

Greg Kroah-Hartman's assertion is that Canonical doesn't contribute significantly to kernel development and the packages that make up the core of a Linux system. Canonical CTO Matt Zimmerman responded to this assertion. It seems at that point, much of the community, developers and users alike, took to examining their particular parts of the open source elephant.

Herein lies the problem.

Matt Hartley at Datamation recently suggested promoting open source adoption -- using a very different venue. He suggests mall kiosks as a potentially effective way to spread the word about open source software, and how it can work for the average computer user.

This is a fascinating idea. User groups could reach several different demographics, populations that might never have heard of Linux, never mind understand the joys (and trials) of using it.

It's an idea with real risks, Hartley admits. With realistic expectations, it could also be wildly successful -- even as a business model.

Few will argue that engaged, active outreach isn't a crucial element that Linux User Groups (LUGs) and open source projects need to attract new users, supporters and contributors. The formula itself is simple. Trying to puzzle out what engaged, active outreach is in a perfect world, versus what a LUG can realistically deliver, is where things can become volatile.

The LUGs behind the Ohio LinuxFest (OLF) have spent the last few years working out the precise ingredients to make their formula work. The sixth annual OLF takes place October 10th and 11th in Columbus, Ohio. Though some ingredients may not work for every LUG planning an event, it's an interesting recipe to follow.

The openSUSE Project reminded members yesterday that the application deadline for a seat on the openSUSE Board is drawing near. Contributors to openSUSE who wish to run for a board seat must first apply for openSUSE membership. openSUSE membership is also required to vote in the election, and contributors who are interested in voting are advised to apply for membership prior to September 24th, to ensure that they will be able to do so.

An open source project is a complex organism. Like a carbon-based lifeform, an open source project is usually a fantastic mix of a number of systems (and theories) that vary in complexity, interact closely, and that can't function effectively (or at all) without support from surrounding components.

Lately, there's been a lot of talk about community. Community is a fairly abstract term, and to continue the project as an animal analogy, it's pretty safe to say that if the software is a measurable biological system, the community has long been equated with the soul.