News

2019 OSI Board Elections

Submitted by administrator on Tue, 2019-01-15 09:16

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is managed by a member-elected Board of Directors that is the ultimate authority responsible for the organization. The Board's responsibilities include oversight of the organization, including its operations, staff and budget; setting strategic direction and defining goals in line with the mission, and; serving the community through committees and working groups. The eleven person Board is composed of Directors elected by OSI Individual Members (5) and Affiliate Members (5). The General Manager of the OSI also serves on the Board as a Director (ex officio). The results of elections for both Individual and Affiliate Member Board seats are advisory with the OSI Board making the formal appointments to open seats based on the community's votes.

December 2018 License-Discuss List Summary

Submitted by LAtkinson on Mon, 2019-01-07 07:51

I've been asked to provide monthly summaries of the license-review and license-discuss mailing lists. The summaries will also be posted on their respective lists, though this blog version includes detailed links into the list archives. Any feedback is welcome, though replies on the content should of course be made to the original threads.

This month's topics:

International Licenses Redux
Proposed license decision process
"Consideration" in open source licenses
Open source license with obligation to display an attribution?
SSPL loose ends

December 2018 License-Review List Summary

Submitted by LAtkinson on Mon, 2019-01-07 07:49

I've been asked to provide monthly summaries of the license-review and license-discuss mailing lists. The summaries will also be posted on their respective lists, though this blog version includes detailed links into the list archives. Any feedback is welcome, though replies on the content should of course be made to the original threads.

This month's topics:

License committee report and review status changes
Server Side Public License, Version 2 (SSPL v2)
Support for SSPL v2
(A new license review process is being discussed on the license-discuss list)

Hacktoberfest Celebrates 5th Anniversary

Submitted by administrator on Tue, 2018-11-13 04:25

Five years ago the community team at DigitalOcean wanted to create a program to inspire open source contributions. That first year, in 2014, the first Hacktoberfest participants were asked for 50 commits, and those who completed the challenge received a reward of swag. 676 people signed up and 505 forged ahead to the finish line, earning stickers and a custom limited-edition T-shirt.

This year that number is an astounding 46,088 completions out of 106,582 sign-ups. We’ve seen it become an entry point to developers contributing to open source projects: much more than a program, it’s clear that Hacktoberfest has become a global community movement with a shared set of values and passion for giving back.

COSCon Bridges East & West, Open Source Powers Now & Future

Submitted by administrator on Tue, 2018-11-06 12:50

The OSI was honored to attend the 2018 China Open Source Conference hosted by OSI Affiliate Member KAIYUANSHE in Shenzhen China. Over 1,600 people attended the exciting two-day event, with almost another 10,000 watching via live-stream online. The conference boasted sixty-two speakers from twelve countries, with 11 keynotes (including OSI Board alum Tony Wasserman), 67 breakout sessions, 5 lightning talks (led by university students), 3 hands-on camps, and 2 specialty forums on Open Source Education and Open Source Hardware.

Handshake's $200K Pledge Extends Reach of Open Source Initiative

Submitted by administrator on Thu, 2018-11-01 08:39

Two hands reach out to handshake.

The Open Source Initiative^® (OSI) is thrilled to announce the largest single donation in organizational history, a $200,000 contribution from Handshake. Handshake is a new system for the internet namespace that builds in security, openness, and reliability from the start. Handshake's work—as a community-oriented organization, and the open technologies delivered—will jump-start a new era of public internet commons, where critical infrastructure is owned by the open source developers who build and sustain it.

Progress in San Francisco's Open Source Elections Project

Submitted by administrator on Mon, 2018-10-29 16:50

As many within the OSI community may know, the OSI has been following closely—and supporting—San Francisco's efforts to develop an open source elections system. Below is an update from Commissioner Chris Jerdonek of the San Francisco Elections Commision.

OSI Incubator Contributes to Success in STEM

Submitted by administrator on Thu, 2018-10-25 14:06

Siena College's Urban Scholars Program provides elementary and middle school students in the Albany, New York school district educational opportunities within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) related feilds through active, hands-on workshops. Participants work closely with Siena student-mentors, in small groups, that encourage critical thinking, teamwork, and persistance to never give up if something seems too hard. In 2015 the Urban Scholars Prgram adopted the FLOSS Desktops for Kids program, and combined with other activities, has led to astonishing student outcomes: increased interest and greater success in STEM courses.