Author Archives: OSI Policy Team

Knowage Renews Sponsorship in Support of Open Source and Open Source Initiative

Open Source Software project cultivates collaboration by extending outreach to OSI as part of broader community development.

Knowage, the open source suite for modern Business Analytics, combining traditional and big data sources into valuable and meaningful information, has renewed their sponsorship of the the Open Source Initiative® (OSI).  Knowage (formerly SpagoBI) has a 14-years history of open source collaboration, where individuals and companies work together to meet the latest analytical needs, including collaboration with current OSI Affiliate Members Eclipse Foundation, OW2, and Engineering Group- one of the world’s leading specialist providers of services, software development and digital platforms that support both public and private companies or organizations through digital transformation..

May 2019 License-Review Summary

In May, the License-Review mailing list saw extensive debate on the Cryptographic Autonomy License. The list also discussed a BSD variant used by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the…

May 2019 License-Discuss Summary

In May, the License-Discuss mailing list talked about: * relationship between the License-Review mailing list and the License Comittee * evolution of the license review process * comprehensiveness of the…

Open Source Initiative Announces New Partnership with Software Liberty Association Taiwan

The Open Source Initiative ® (OSI), the global organization working to promote and protect open source, is excited to announce the Affiliate Membership of the Software Liberty Association Taiwan (SLAT). Founded in 2001, SLAT is Taiwan’s first legal entity dedicated to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), supporting both the development and user communities. As an active community of advocates and technologists, SLAT both drives initiatives, and partners with existing projects, to promote FOSS, including the Open Source Software Application Consulting Center—a program fostering FOSS in Taiwan’s schools.

2018 Open Source Initiative Annual Report

2018 Annual Report Welcome to the Open Source Initiative’s 2018 annual report. In this year’s report you’ll learn about the organization’s activities from the past year, which captures the hard work of employees, contractors, volunteers, and those passionate about open source. I hope this will give you some context on why this work happened and what makes it so important. The Open Source Initiative was started in 1998 by a group of people interested in seeing ethics applied to the creation and distribution of software. This approach was built on a foundation of ideals – a specific philosophy on the rights and responsibilities of software users and creators. More than twenty years later, I am writing as a director of the OSI, which has grown into a robust organization with record numbers of individual and affiliate members, a dedicated all volunteer board, and the incredible support of volunteers and open source enthusiasts around the world.

Open Source Hong Kong Becomes an OSI Affiliate Member

PALO ALTO, Calif. – May 14, 2019 ​ – The Open Source Initiative (OSI), the founding organization of the open source software movement, is excited to announce the Affiliate Membership of the Open Source Hong Kong (OSHK). For ten years OSHK has worked across Asia to support open source communities, foster open source development, and increase the use of open source software, their recent OSI Membership highlights both organizations’ desires to collaborate across communities.

OSI Board Evolution

![OSI Board 2019-20](/files/Board19.png)

I spent last week in New York at the annual new-inductees face-to-face Board meeting of the Open Source Initiative Board (pictured here – Christine Hall is also a member but was unable to join us). Having spent the last 11 years working on refactoring OSI for a new generation, I had advised the Board in advance that I intended to step down as President to make way for fresh blood. The Board elected Molly de Blanc as the new President and Josh Simmons as Vice President, with Hong Phuc Dang bravely volunteering to be CFO. I agreed to serve as Board Secretary until someone else feels ready to play that role – no later than next April when my term ends.

April 2019 License-Review Summary

In April, the License-Review mailing list saw extensive debate on the Cryptographic Autonomy License, in particular: * its user data clause, and how it affects user freedom * obligations placed…

April 2019 License-Discuss Summary

In April, the License-Discuss mailing list: * talked about non-commercial licensing * discussed license revocability * answered a question about LGPL/Apache compatibility The corresponding License-Review summary is online at and…