Top Of Mind

Kuali

This open source development community is cooking up some serious ERP and other enterprise–grade software for universities. It is said that their complex and to–the–point software is built by universities for universities. At least one of their components transcends the higher education space. Without a doubt, Kuali open source code will enter the traditional business marketplace and create a stir.

Drupal

This funny sounding CMS is approaching one million installations which includes some highly visible users such as whitehouse.gov. The lucrative business of content management (usually dominated by large, well–financed organizations) is undergoing a transformation triggered by this powerful open source software.

Ubuntu

This open source operating system comes in a single user edition or server edition. It includes a web browser, office suite, media apps, instant messaging, and much more. In the latest release, Ubuntu 9.10 Server Edition is the only server OS on the planet with a built–in open source cloud. It enables anyone to build their own cloud computing environment.

Chrome OS

Originally designed for netbooks, Chrome is Google’s solution for a lightweight and secure way to work with web applications. Google released Chrome OS to open source and wants to partner with hardware vendors to bring Chrome OS–powered netbooks to market. It is lean and targets users who spend most of their computer time on the Internet.

OpenOffice

My twin daughters use OpenOffice on their notebook computers. This open source office suite is claiming over 100 million downloads. The product is making steady improvements and is a significant newcomer to the desktop office marketplace. As the public becomes increasingly aware of its compatibility with Microsoft Office, adoption of OpenOffice accelerates.

Linus Torvalds

Torvalds et.al.began doing their open source thing over 15 years ago. He wrote his Master’s thesis about Linux, the portable operating system in 1996. Open Source advocates probably did not envision a lag of more than a decade in gaining broad, global traction with their cause, but Open Source is here to stay.

In February this year, Linus Torvalds was named among the 100 most influential inventors since Cro–Magnon man in a series from Encyclopedia Britannica. You can read about the series edition, The 100 Most Influential Inventors of all time at www.rosenpublishing.com.