OStatic

By Aaron Huslage

Let's face it, open source software runs the Internet. Without it we wouldn't have basic services like DNS, or even the web server that's sending you this page. This isn't a new phenomenon. People have been writing and distributing OSS software since the Internet was born. I'm always amused when people characterize it as a new-fangled thing. That does a complete disservice to the hard work of folks all over the world, and the phenomenal software they have written.

SourceForge, which is behind several media properties including Slashdot, SourceForge.net, Linux.com and Freshmeat.net, is announcing today that it is including OpenID functionality in its SourceForge.net website. OpenID, of course, is an open, decentralized framework for handling digital identities and authentication. It eliminates the need for multiple usernames online. Many big companies, including Google, Yahoo, IBM, and Microsoft (OpenID can be used with Windows CardSpace) employ OpenID. SourceForge's move, and the extent to which it's embracing OpenID, makes it one of the largest implementers yet.

It's hard to believe, sometimes, how little faith the press has in the financial prowess of Microsoft. The company produced the person who became, for a long time, the richest person in the world? Accidental--nothing more, says the press. In the wake of today's news, the press is unanimous in saying that the move culminated a whirlwind, three-month courtship that it initiated on Jan. 31 Game over, in other words. Give me a break. As Om has pointed out, the game has just begun, and there are important things hanging in the balance for open source.