Open source software gets boost from big business.IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) STRENGTHENED ITS SUPport for open source software when it announced a new relationship with higher ed. Big Blue is giving colleges and universities free access to its alpha Works lab, a research center for emerging technologies, including new games and middleware tools. Students and faculty members can delve into IBM's source code to learn how development projects work. In exchange, they can offer improvements and new ideas "New Ideas" is the debut single by Scottish New Wave/Indie Rock act The Dykeenies. It was first released as a Double A-side with "Will It Happen Tonight?" on July 17, 2006. The band also recorded a video for the track. . The hope is that collaboration will result in better commercial products. In the past, IBM offered colleges and universities a 90-day trial to its research and emerging software products. Other divisions at IBM are already furthering open source efforts in higher education. Its Business Consulting unit is working closely with the Sakai Project (www.sakaiproject.org), a higher ed-led effort that includes the University of Michigan (body, education) University of Michigan - A large cosmopolitan university in the Midwest USA. Over 50000 students are enrolled at the University of Michigan's three campuses. The students come from 50 states and over 100 foreign countries. , which is about to issue version 2.0 of its free course management system. The company is also supporting the Kuali Project (www.kuali.org), a separate effort of Indiana University and others to produce an open source financial management system for colleges and universities. OSPI OSPI Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (Washington State) OSPI Open Source E-Portfolio Initiative OSPI Office of Strategic Planning and Integration (Social Security Administration) , the Open Source Portfolio Initiative, (www.theospi.org) also is getting help from IBM. "We have people building Sakai in IBM's DB2, or getting it to run on industrial-strength middleware," explains Patrick Carey, industry leader for higher education in the Business Consulting division. After gaining practical experience with the open source programs, IBM consultants report back to the three major higher-ed initiatives with the goal of tweaking tweaking Vox populi Fine-tuning to produce optimal results and improving the programs. IBM's involvement also helps set standards for open source software--an important mission if disparate universities are going to use the same programs. "Open source software that isn't based on standards has no value," insists Carey. The higher-ed landscape is strewn strew tr.v. strewed, strewn or strewed, strew·ing, strews 1. To spread here and there; scatter: strewing flowers down the aisle. 2. with such open source programs that fell by the wayside, he says. Programs that are based in software standards move through the development phase quicker, he adds. And, obviously, the quicker a software is developed, the quicker commercial companies can offer their for-profit hosting and support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services . To that end, IBM already is partnering with The rSmart Group (www.rsmart.com), a commercial venture that offers service and support for higher ed. In a separate endeavor, several companies, along with Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University, at Pittsburgh, Pa.; est. 1967 through the merger of the Carnegie Institute of Technology (founded 1900, opened 1905) and the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research (founded 1913). (Pa.) have launched an effort to evaluate open source software. As any IT manager knows, free programs can come with coding problems and untested applications. To minimize headaches, Intel and SpikeSource are joining Carnegie Mellon to create the Business Readiness Ratings system, which will be distributed at www.openbrr.org. |
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