Fall2008/Special events
From OpenSourceSoftwarePractice
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Invited Speakers
Michael Tiemann - RedHat
Speaker
Michael Tiemann Vice President of Open Source Affairs at Red Hat Inc, http://www.redhat.com/about/companyprofile/inthenews/tiemann.html
President of the Open Source Initiative. http://www.opensource.org/
Biography
Michael Tiemann is a true open source software pioneer. He made his first major open source contribution over a decade ago by writing the GNU C++ compiler, the first native-code C++ compiler and debugger. His early work led to the creation of leading open source technologies and the first open source business model.
In 1989, Tiemann's technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found Cygnus Solutions, the first company to provide commercial support for open source software. During his ten years at Cygnus, Tiemann contributed in a number of roles from President to hacker, helping lead the company from fledgling start-up to an admired open source leader.
Tiemann serves on a number of boards, including the Open Source Initiative and the GNOME Foundation. Tiemann also provides financial support to organizations that further the goals of software and programmer freedom, including the Free Software Foundation and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Date & Location
- Date: September 24th
- Time: 4:00 - 5:30 pm
- Location: DCC 324
Abstract
Exonovation--Leveraging Innovation from the Edge
In the face of mounting competitive pressures, executives have significantly reduced costs, improved efficiencies, and strengthened their companies' core business. Yet as John Hagel and John Seely Brown demonstrate in a book recently published by the Harvard University Press[1], firms continue to destroy value for shareholders and lose ground to competitors. They argue that business strategy depends not on core competencies or on frictionless transactions, but on productive friction and dynamic specialization, two features that define both the open source development model and Red Hat's own business practices. They also argue that Information Technology is the most critical and least reliable factor enabling firms to transition from 20th to 21st century competitive sustainability. They hold out hope that two new technologies, Service Oriented Architectures and Virtualization, will insulate firms from the disastrous effects of proprietary lock-in. I will evaluate those claims, particularly whether virtualization makes open source less relevant or all the more relevant to companies looking to establish and maintain a sustainable edge.
[1] The only sustainable edge, 2005
Chris DiBona - Google
Speaker
Chris DiBona Open Source Programs Manager - Google Inc. http://sites.google.com/a/dibona.com/dibona-wiki/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_DiBona
Biography
Chris DiBona (born October 1971) is the open source program manager at Google. This job includes running the Summer of Code program, and managing projects on Google Code. Prior to joining Google he was an editor at Slashdot, and co-founded Damage Studios. He also co-edited Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution and Open Sources 2.0.[1].
Before joining Google, Mr. DiBona was an editor/author for the popular online website Slashdot.org and He is an internationally known advocate of open source software and related methodologies. He co-edited the award winning essay compilations "Open Sources" and "Open Sources 2.0" and writes for a great number of publications. He was briefly the Linux guy on TechTV and speaks on a variety of open source issues internationally.
His Blog
Date & Location
Date: October 6th
Location: JEC 3117
Time: 5:30-7:30pm
Daniel Frye - IBM
Speaker
Daniel Frye Vice President, Open Systems Development http://www.ibm.com/linux/ltc
Date & Location
- Date: October 15th
- Location: DCC 337
- Time: 4:00-5:30pm
Title and Abstract
Title
IBM's Decade of Participation in Open Source Software
Abstract
Dr. Frye will discuss IBM's experiences in open source software starting with IBM's initial decision to get involved. He will cover the history of IBM's participation, views on proprietary vs. open software, the evolution of the open software community, and enterprise usage of open source software. Included will be IBM's early forays into the community, the resulting lessons learned, and current business-critical usage of open source software.
Biography
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/biography/20125.wss
Daniel D. Frye, vice president - IBM Open Systems Development, is the head of IBM’s UNIX development team, principally responsible for Linux and AIX development. Dr. Frye is additionally responsible for overseeing IBM’s Linux technical strategy and IBM’s participation in the open source Linux development community.
Prior to his current responsibilities, Frye was a member of IBM’s Emerging Technologies and Business Opportunities team where he worked on company-wide technical strategies that predicted future trends and transitions in the IT industry. At the time, he co-authored the original IBM corporate strategies for Linux and open source. Frye sits on the board of the Open Source Development Laboratory (OSDL) and participates in a variety of other Linux and open source industry groups. He has a master's degree in physics from The Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Idaho. He also received his doctorate in theoretical atomic physics from The Johns Hopkins University.
Background
Podcast Interview
Dan Frye: The head of the IBM® Linux® and AIX® development teams discusses the relative security of Linux and the history of security certification around Linux and open source. Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) and IBM's involvement in the evolution of the open source OS through the IBM Linux Technology Center are discussed. Frye also addresses questions in regard to IBM's embrace of open source, developer acceptance of open source technology, and on where open source solutions need to improve.
Sandro Groganz and James Cherkoff
Speakers
| Sandro Groganz | James Cherkoff |
|---|---|
| InitMarketing, the open source marketing company | Collaborate Marketing |
| http://www.initmarketing.com/ | http://www.collaboratemarketing.com/ |
Date & Location
- Date: November 10th
- Location: Troy 1202 (Usual Classroom)
- Time: 4:00-5:30pm (Usual Time)
Panel Topics
- How have you applied the concepts of Open Source to the field of Marketing
- How have you done Marketing for Open Source projects
- How do you engage customers to participate in projects (e.g. help funding a project) as opposed to "buying a product".
- What is the level of adoption of Open Source in Europe, (private sector, public sector...)
- How do you see Web 2.0 technologies affecting the ways in which products are advertised on the Web.
- How do you market open source projects/products without ever knowing who your target audience is -- it's very easy to grow a business organically without knowing a customer base, but it's much harder to know your customer when you have no idea who is using your product.
Kent Quirk - Linden Lab
Speaker
Kent Quirk Linden Lab (Second Life)
Date & Location
- Date: November 13th
- Location: Troy 1202 (Standard Classroom)
- Time: 4:00-5:30pm
Title and Abstract
Title
Open Source Adoption at Second Life (A Case Study)
Abstract
Kent Quirk will deliver a case-study lecture on why open source makes sense for Linden Lab and what value it has to them as well as to the community.
Biography
Kent Quirk is a software developer at Linden Lab working on Second Life in the areas of open source development and client software architecture. Kent recently taught a class at Worcester Polytechnic Institute about the process of game development and in 2007, he created the game Melting Point, which is a serious game about global warming.
Previously, Kent was the lead developer of Cosmic Blobs, a 3D art toy for children, and CTO and one of the founders of CogniToy, an independent game company based in Acton, MA. He has been a software designer for more than 20 years and has written three books and many technical articles, and is a frequent speaker.
Background
Second Life adopted an Open Source model for the development of their Viewer application.
They also used an (Open Source)-like model for engaging Second Life residents to create content for which they (the residents) hold the copyright, while they share it with other residents under Creative Commons licenses.
