Open Source is more than free software

The open source movement has been popularised by the geeks, who benefited immensely from the collaborative power of the internet. The notion of open source has been around for centuries albeit in small communities where knowledge sharing was a way of life. The concept of bartering and peer production was given shape in the late 19th century. And in 2003, collaborative projects like Wikipedia emerged and have proven to be quite successful.

Yochai Benkler points out in his TED talk, that "social production" is the long term disprutive force that will challenge the players in the commercial market place. Benkler's book "The Wealth of Networks" is made available as a source for open discussion using Yale's annotation platform.

So as the Internet continues its growth, the notion of an open source is moving to other domains. Like the Open Architecture Network that provides solutions to a wider audience. Peer production is here to stay... and a key question is to figure how commercial players and the public sector would respond to this disruption.

Looks like Chrome may be taking the role of the operating system. What with all those nifty net-based applications building up on Google's home page. Google Docs is all set to take on MS Office, the features keeping increasing and the usability is improving (still a long way to go).

Once Chrome can deeply integrate with Google Apps --- not unlike the way MS Office (and other products) deeply integrated with MS Windows --- then we will be seeing the first steps towards creating a universal computer. One that just knows how to run a browser -- and drive a network card. That's all thats needed; the rest is on the cloud -- applications and data! 

Low power consumption will make it a preferred device not unlike the mobile phone. Talking of which, with the power that mobile phones are packing, phones will become computers (they already are) running a browser and using the mobile network. 

Google (and others) still have a lot of work to do to create the rich user experience in a world of all-net based applications. Which is why Microsoft is pushing Silverlight so hard and Adobe with Flash. Google still has the Android-card up its sleeve, with iPhone stealing a lot of the mobile-innovation thunder, I guess they will wait a bit.

We are probably reaching the stage where consumer-centered design of services is a very distinct possibility.

Software platforms for NGOs - Open Source is more than software

Open Source is definitely reaching the 2.0 state and becoming a real alternative to commercial software. However, most of all it proposes value to take "Social Networking" to the NGOs and non-profits who work tirelessly to make changes in their respective societies.

Latest is Kaltura a video platform and DimDim a web-meeting platform. These are just two of probably hundreds such software platforms making the news. As a specialist in collaboration technology my personal favourite has been Drupal and civiCRM.

My thoughts immediately go to the small non-profits driven by energetic, passionate and skilled idealists -- always short on funds and striving to make the kroner or rupee go as far as possible. Looking back at the 80s, I see how user-centered design became possible when Microsoft, Lotus and Borland let-loose the power of the PC with development tools and software architectures. This ultimately led to mass adoption of computing in the workplace. I sense a wave of citizen-centered design approaching and I wonder how governments and bureacracy will react. More on this later...

I suspect Kaltura will be challenging the likes of YouTube and Google Video - not directly - but in allowing for the development of solutions without the hassle of those "pesky ads". And DimDim is taking the battle to Microsoft, Google and Cisco (Webex). On the other hand, these could also be partners... it is difficult to say in this new era of Darwinism; those who adapt will survive. The trick is in "How to adapt".

The folks at NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting) have experimented with the use of multi-platform technology to understand how they can make their programming more accessible. They used one their most popular series as content for the experiment. Smart guys. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. I have just had my first taste of the user experience and it is really fascinating.

So whats the big deal? Well, there are many aspects to this experiment, you need to visit their sandbox NRKBeta and hang around to understand what I'm getting at. Just 3 points and then I'll leave you to experience NRKBeta.

• (a) the sandbox is social networking in practice -- the site does not make a big point of it, it is too busy using the technology as a tool to drive the main agenda i.e. experimentation with media and media technologies. Very refreshing in these days of Social Networking hype (don't get me wrong, I am a fan of SN, its just that the focus is on technology and not on its application

• (b) foresight and planning - the folks at NRK have evidently shaped the contract for the programme and removed legal issues that would have prevented them to experiment with this technology. Issues that copyrighting and sponsorship clauses bring along. Now, that must be at least 2 years before this experiment.

• (c) use of BitTorrent - a technology that has been associated with questionable practices like file-sharing of copyrighted material etc. The point NRK are making is that, as with all technology, there is a difference between the application of the technology and the technology itself. Actually, I don't think they are not making a point of it, they are too focused on experimenting with the use of multi-platform media distribution.

I can see my TV license fees being put good use! NRK is doing a good job -- and Eirik is excellent at communicating in an easy-to-understand language and a steady stream of articles and presentations.

I'm looking for an application of this technology in the field of education. Education in urban regions, rural areas, in developing countries, where access to good content is not cheap and bandwidths are not broad enough. NRKBeta is definitely a "testbed" for media services for an open digital society.