Open Source Initiative

• Survey Results Re Individual Memberships
  As part of the OSI’s governance reform, we are planning to establish a mechanism for individuals to join the OSI. We recently conducted a survey to ask people about their interest in joining, and to learn some preferences about how best to proceed. We received more than 350 replies to the survey, which was initially announced at FOSDEM in February 2012. […]
• OSI Supports Open Standards
  Back in 2006, a detailed discussion at the Open Source Initiative led to the creation of a statement about what makes a standard open, and a set of criteria for determining if the requirement was met and a standard compliant. Both are very simple as well as fully explained.read more
• Thank you, Michael Tiemann!
  The OSI recently instituted a term limit on directors (after two terms, a director must be off the board for at least one year). In the most recent election cycle, this resulted in Michael Tiemann stepping down from the board and the Presidency. The newly-elected directors officially started their terms this April 1st, and their first meeting was today, A […]
• OSI Welcomes Debian and CENATIC
  OSI is very pleased to welcome two important new members to the Affiliate scheme for community groups.read more
• OSI's new Board
  Last Friday the OSI Board held a special meeting to fill vacancies that had arisen by the departure of three directors - Mike Godwin, Andrew Oliver and Michael Tiemann. Michael Tiemann left the Board after serving as OSI President for many years and leaves a large gap which the board will only fill thoughtfully; as a consequence, Martin Michlmayr, currently […]
• Open Source CADNANO is unbelievably cool
  I just read this in Nature: The researchers designed the structure of the nanorobots using open-source software, called Cadnano, developed by one of the authors — Shawn Douglas, a biophysicist at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. They then built the bots using DNA origami. The barrel-shaped devices, each about 35 nanomet […]
• OSI Announces New Initiatives
  OSI is changing, and you can help!  I spoke at FOSDEM in Brussels on Saturday, on behalf of the Open Source Initiative (OSI) where I serve as a director. My noon keynote covered a little of the rationale behind OSI and a quick synopsis of its last decade from my own perspective and then announcements on OSI's behalf about the work we’re doing to ma […]
• Help OSI - Complete Our Survey!
  The Open Source Initiative is switching to a member-led governance. For that, it will need members. The OSI Board would be very grateful if you would complete the totally anonymous survey which will help us understand what attributes you would like from OSI membership in the future. Thanks for your help!
• Live Free or Die in New Hampshire
  New Hampshire has passed a new law that is summarized as follows: This bill requires state agencies to consider open source software when acquiring software and promotes the use of open data formats by state agencies. This bill also directs the commissioner of information technology to develop a statewide information policy based on principles of open gover […]
• OSI Reform At FOSDEM
  In preparation for my keynote at FOSDEM, I was interviewed by the team who have just posted the interview. In particular, I noted this background to the governance reform, which readers here might find useful: Why exactly did OSI decide to reorganize its governance from a board-only organization into a member-based structure?read more