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Open Source Technology Update
Breaking Away
4/1/2007
Open source projects may free universities from expensive, rigid commercial software. But will the rewards outweigh the potential risks?
Brad Wheeler is breaking with tradition. As CIO of
Indiana University, Wheeler is leading an ambitious
move to open source-based applications that will manage
the bulk of the university’s business and academic
systems. One of the initiatives, known as the Kuali Project, involves multiple universities
writing and sharing code for their financial and operational
systems. Another, the Sakai Project, is a community
source platform for academic teaching and course management
(see “How Much Do You Know About…”).
If they succeed, Kuali and Sakai are bold initiatives that could free universities from rigid commercial software that’s often expensive to acquire and maintain. But the journey to open source freedom also includes numerous risks. While commercial software has a support network including thousands of hardware, software, and integration partners, niche open source projects may involve only a few hundred— or even a few dozen—software developers worldwide.
Still, more and more universities are seeing the upside of open source. In fact, right now, many universities are deploying or evaluating open source databases, e-mail systems, and business applications. Even voice over IP (VoIP) hardware and call management systems increasingly leverage open source software known as Asterisk (see “Know Your Options”).
SAKAI AND KUALI spearheader Wheeler: Promoting 'enlightened self-interest.'
Kuali and Sakai are unique, however, in that they are designed for universities, by universities. Unlike traditional, loosely organized open source projects which can involve the random contributions of programmers from across the world (some of whom are well-known, some lesser-known) and which can cause problems related to communications, project priorities, cultural issues, etc., the Kuali and Sakai projects have formal, organized teams stretched across multiple universities, with clearly defined responsibilities and goals. Active participants in the initiatives include Cornell University (NY), Michigan State University, San Joaquin Delta College (CA), and The University of Arizona, just to name a few.
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