Open Communities at the Open Source Summit

  • 01/31/05
Open Communities at the Open Source Summit

open sharing

Leaders in the open source movement in higher education addressed its academic and strategic potential in Scottsdale in December at the first annual Open Source Summit, hosted by the rsmart group (www.rsmart.com). “This is a time for change,” said rsmart founder John Robinson. “It makes sense that after 35 years in this proprietary software business, it’s time for an alternative.”

the power of community

In a strategic track session, panelist Lois Brooks, director of Academic Computing at Stanford University (CA), explored the value of community innovation and collaboration in open source development.

students as customers?

Panelist Bill Flynn, managing director of the National Council for Continuing Education & Training (NCCET; www.nccet.org) talked about accountability and the role of open source software in meeting changing demands.

Oracle OpenWorld: Changing Business

higher ed, highest representation

Amid more than 20,000 attendees at the annual Oracle (www.oracle.com) conference in San Francisco in December, higher ed participants in the Education & Research track were clearly out in full force. Attendees learned about a myriad of education products at a separate kiosk area set up near the track sessions.

an opportunity for best practices

“With the decision to configure the software but not to customize it,” said panelist Rich Pickett, “colleges and universities have an opportunity to change their business processes, and adhere to best practices.” The University of San Diego (CA) director of Administrative Information Services cited self-service (giving end users control, and CRM) and increasing the speed and frequency of communications with prospective students, as two of the greatest benefits of his institution’s large-scale, enterprise implementations.

busy exhibits

From in-depth discussions with Oracle execs, reps, and many other vendors, to a casual encounter with Xiotech’s (www.xiotech.com) roving robot, attendees explored a variety of solutions in a packed exhibit hall in the Moscone Center. Oracle’s “DEMOgrounds” alone offered more than 70 stations in seven product areas, along with a Theater and Guru Lounge. Solutions abounded.

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