Culture, education community, and open source
Brad Wheeler, CIO at Indiana University, is quoted in a brief 'public cio' sidebar about some of the unique aspects propelling the open source movement in Education. I draw out three key points:
1. Open source progress is measured by moving "up the software stack" from OS's to Applications.
2. The OSS movement in Education is leading the way partly because the culture of Education is attuned to the Philosophy of open source.
"Ford and Chrysler can't really sit down together and design a resource management system, but Cornell and Indiana universities can pool resources. It fits with the values of the academy - a collaborative culture."
3. The current movement is part of a larger, cyclical progression enabled partly by new communication and information technologies that make global collaboration on software more efficient. It's interesting when I talk with rSmart's Chairman, John Robinson about this because he's been a part of each of the three phases Brad mentions.
"Years ago, universities used to build their own applications; in the 1990s they started buying it all, Wheeler noted. Now they're moving to a model in which they can borrow it. "It's our default method of development now, and I think it makes sense for other public-sector organizations," he said. "You just need a mechanism for making it happen."
cdcoppola:
Thanks Mara, I couldn't find Open Innovation in audiobook form, but I've added it to my Amazon wish list.
Mara Hancock:
Interesting, Chris. I have seen this "Switzerland" effect in the Fluid Community Source Project (http://fluidproject.org)as well, where companies such as Google or Yahoo could never sit down and create a shared design pattern or component library, but they are willing when it is overseen by a collaboration managed by academia (perhaps the innovation sparks the interest as well
You seem to indicate that it isn't that it is Community Source (which at this point is primarily associate with higher ed), but that it is Open Source in general. And, of course, it is true as well in specifications groups like IMS. Have you read any of Henry Chesbrough's books on open innovation? He runs the Center for Open Innovation at the Haas School of business. I've seen him speak and found him quite interesting. (http://openinnovation.haas.berkeley.edu/Home_COI.html)
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