The newest report (that I know of) from Forrester is showing that Open Source is showing up more in next years budgets for companies than in previous years.

Well, cost is the primary driver for open-source consideration, as a recent Forrester report suggests, but what is most significant is the overwhelmingly positive experience CIOs are having with open source, as this same Forrester report suggests.
…
Open-source software isn’t perfect, and its quality varies widely, just as in the proprietary-software world. But unlike proprietary software, open source actively de-risks the IT purchasing decision by enabling you to try before you buy, buy on subscription (i.e., no long-term commitment), and pay a lot less for equal or greater value.

Small wonder, then, that CIOs are voting with their wallets, buying into open source while cutting investments in proprietary software.

I would love to see a similar study done among libraries. How many libraries are dropping proprietary options for open source next year?

Learn more about this report on CNET News.

I often talk about what open source software you can use in your library to improve services and save on licensing fees. Well, a few weeks ago I was at the Taylor County Public Library in Perry, FL doing some Koha training and I learned that they also use lots of other open source applications in their library. So far, they’re using:

• Koha

• Firefox
• Ubuntu
• Opera
• and WordPress

I can’t wait to see what other software they end up using (especially since I introduced them to a few new options and they’re attending one of my open source classes in May to learn more).

Read all about it.

[update] Just an update. While parts of Opera are open source, the core browser is not. So if you want to go fully open source - Firefox is your answer [/update]

An interesting little piece from Techdirt talks about a law firm trying to twist an open source license ruling:

When CAFC ruled last summer about the legality of open source licenses and their connection to copyright in the Jacobsen case, we were a little worried that the ruling appeared to conflict with some other copyright rulings, in a way that could eventually cause problems.
…
A law firm has been running around trying to push the idea that the ruling means using any open source software increases your copyright infringement liability. Of course, that’s only true if you don’t abide by the terms of the license. In other words, the risks are no different than if you’re using proprietary code: if you obey the terms of the license, there’s no problem. If you don’t, there is. All the ruling really stated was that there could be greater damages to those who don’t abide by the license. So, really, the law firm’s advice seems to be directed entirely to firms who plan to not live up to the requirements of an open source license. That’s hardly an increased liability for those who comply.

It’s always a shame to see people’s fears about change or new (or seemingly new) technologies lead to such silliness.

Marc Roberson, Texas resident and LibLime colleague wrote a great comment on a post at OSTATIC that asks why Open Source wasn’t considered for Texas government computers. This from OSTATIC author Sam Dean:

Earlier this month, Computerworld reported on the Texas state Senate banning Windows Vista from use in government agencies. Specifically, Senator Juan Hinojosa proposed the ban because “of the many reports of problems with Vista.” Microsoft officials reacted angrily, saying “we’re surprised that the Texas Senate Finance Committee adopted a rider which, in effect, singles out a specific corporation and product for unequal treatment.” Hinojosa has proposed Windows XP and the upcoming Windows 7 as alternatives, but why wasn’t moving to an open source solution even considered? That’s the gist of an interesting letter sent to Hinojosa, and here are some of the good points it makes.

Our very own Marc Roberson answered:

As someone who has worked on the commercial side of software for more years than I care to admit, I have to say that making the move to Open Source Solutions was a no brainer. I worked for two very large companies that supplied proprietary systems for libraries around the world. The cost of maintenance was so high that libraries were literally closing their doors to keep their systems under a maintenance contract that just kept increasing. Our solutions save them sometimes 70% or more allowing libraries to do what they do best: give patrons ubiquitous access to stable, safe, customizable technology.

In this “recession” there is no excuse for not exploring the alternatives. To do so would be a breach of fiduciary responsibility to the community as a whole.

As for stealth installations of OSS….. if you are using Firefox, you’re using open source. If you’re using Apache, you’re using open source… now the next step is Open Office and more specialized applications that can truly save big bucks and make a difference at the same time!

Is your state using or considering open source? I’d love to hear about it.

The next big conference on my travel schedule is SLA Annual in Washington D.C. I will be talking about my new book on Mashups as well as Open Source for Libraries.

If you’re coming to SLA this year, look for me and if you can - make sure to attend one or both of my talks

Technorati Tags: sla2009, sla09

Howard County has been all over talking (and writing) about their successful use of open source, not they’re announcing their own contribution to the open source world - MaiaCMS.

• is designed to make web publishing managed entirely by non-technical staff;
• allows for page creation and editing within a “look-and-feel” setting that is identical to the live product;
• is intended to augment the content management options available by being feature rich, while easy-to-use;and quick to deploy; and
• is free software — waiting for a community to support and enhance it! (a caveat - we release this software rough and ready for volunteers and community members to provide:
  • documentation (esp. on how to install!) 
  • new modules
  • style sheets

MaiaCMS includes modules for

• announcements
• change password
• form administration
• front page management
• job opening page management
• mass mailer generation (e-mail)
• promotion management
• remote patron authentication
• scheduled task management
• site contacts
• site logs
• site management

Awesome & congrats to Howard County!!! Read more about it in their announcement post.

When I teach my open source course I always talk about our current financial situation (here and around the world). While not all open source alternatives are free or cost saving, some are obviously a smart move. Mostly I talk about getting rid of Microsoft Windows and Office - and their obscene license fees - and replacing them with Ubuntu and Openoffice. It seems like the French Gendarmerie Nationale police force agrees with me and have saved significant amounts of money making this very move:

By switching to open source software, such as the Ubuntu operating system and OpenOffice instead of Windows and Microsoft Office, the force has saved roughly €50 million since 2004. The best quote comes from Lt. Colonel Xavier Guimard: “Moving from Microsoft XP to Vista would not have brought us many advantages and Microsoft said it would require training of users,” he said. “Moving from XP to Ubuntu, however, proved very easy. The two biggest differences are the icons and the games. Games are not our priority.” But what about those sweet, sweet icons? No matter, the department says its budget dropped by 70 percent by switching to open source, and it’s obviously an approach they’d like to continue in the future. The entire organization should be running on Linux by 2015.

Found via GearCrave and Ars Technica.

I have to admit, I have never used Jaiku - Twitter is enough for me - but this news from DownloadSquad peeks my interest:

Google has released the source code for micro-blogging service Jaiku. The company announced earlier this year that it would cease development of Jaiku. But instead of shutting Jaiku down altogether, Google has moved the project so that it now runs on Google App Engine.

Meanwhile, now that JaikuEngine is available to the public, anyone can set up their own version of Jaiku. And developers can help contribute to the project. It should be interesting to see how the project fares. While Twitter certainly dominates the micro-blogging space, it’s possible that the new open source nature of Jaiku will make it attractive to open source enthusiasts.

If you do something neat with this new open source micro-blogging platform, let me know I’m curious to see where this goes.

I’m with Sam Dean who writes about newspaper online editions using open source alternatives for their content management systems.

Hard economic times are creating new financial realities for newspapers. Just this past week, the Seattle Post Intelligencier produced its final print edition, after more than a century of publishing. Today’s open source content management systems are intuitive, very powerful, can help publish content in many languages, and if support is needed, players such as Acquia, with its commercial support for Drupal, offer flexibility.

Nobody at OStatic has ever needed outside support for Drupal, which we run on, and many other sites, such as Fast Company and The Onion, do fine with Drupal. (We’ve provided many free Drupal resources here.) It’s hardly the only open source content management choice, though. For newspapers and other people considering an open source content management platform, OpenSourceCMS remains an excellent way to take the reins of several different free CMS systems. The site allows you to try Drupal, Joomla, WordPress and many other platforms, and you can spend hours functioning as site administrator, watching video tutorials and more.

There is an open source application for every purpose (well maybe not yet - but every day I learn of something new).

Today, a Silicon Valley non-profit group called InSTEDD (Innovative Support to Emergencies, Diseases and Disasters) unveiled three new open source software tools targeted to help global humanitarian efforts. The group works with humanitarian organizations, local communities, and government ministries to improve disease detection and disaster response. Some of the tools are already in use in HIV clinics in Tanzania, centers for disease control in Kenya and Cambodia, and more.

These three apps are:

• InSTEDD GeoChat

• InSTEDD Mesh4X
• InSTEDD Evolve

Learn more.