Government

Open*Government: 2010 in Review

So much took place in the realm of open source public policy this year, that there was plenty to write about.  Some of the government channel's first posts were about the U.S. Department of Defense's clarifications on the procurement of open source software, Forge.mil's project to bring together software developers and military leaders to create and share software, and the IIPA's recommendation that the U.S. blacklist certain countries that use open source.

But opensource.com and the government channel isn't just about software being used by governments.  It's about » Read more

0 CommentsPosted 29 Dec 2010 by Melanie Chernoff (Red Hat)

Poll: Open*Government 2010 best images

The visual components on opensource.com are an important element to the look and feel of our content. The images help set the tone for the site. The imagery embodies several qualities such as motivational, editorial, authoritative (but not authoritarian), human, and optimism.

Without our imagery, the content on the site would be plain and unsightly. We'd like to highlight some of the images from 2010 and give you a chance to pick your favorite. » Read more

3 CommentsPosted 29 Dec 2010 by Jason Hibbets (Red Hat)

Rise of the fashion trolls

A funny thing happens as a Congressional session comes to a close. Priorities, whether political or policy, rocket to the surface.  It becomes a war of attrition, of who can keep things 'out of sight, out of mind' before people get tired and want to go home.  

But, there are always numerous pieces of legislation that don’t get much love either way. The problem is, although they technically “go away” for now, the ideas behind them aren’t dead.
» Read more

3 CommentsPosted 21 Dec 2010 by Art Seavey

European Interoperability Framework supports openness

Recognizing the role of open source and open standards in innovation, the European Commission released yesterday its long-awaited “European Interoperability Framework.” This official policy (the “EIF”) » Read more

1 CommentPosted 17 Dec 2010 by Mark Bohannon (Red Hat)

The role of open source in emerging economies: A Malaysian success story

2010 has been a fantastic year for open source. The progress that Malaysia has made with open source has caught the attention of governments of developed and emerging economies. I would like to share some of the opportunities, challenges, and future benefits that open source can continue to offer to economies such as Malaysia. » Read more

3 CommentsPosted 13 Dec 2010 by Michael Tiemann (Red Hat)

What “open data” means – and what it doesn’t

Last week, an article in the Wall Street Journal talked about the Open Data Partnership, which “will allow consumers to edit the interests, demographics and other profile information collected about them. It also will allow people to choose to not be tracked at all.” The article goes on to discuss data mining and privacy issues, which are hot topics in today’s digital world, where we all wonder just how much of our personal data is out there and how it’s being used. » Read more

8 CommentsPosted 10 Dec 2010 by Melanie Chernoff (Red Hat)

Open standards policy in India: A long, but successful journey

Last week, India became another major country to join the growing, global open standards movement. After three years of intense debate and discussion, India's Department of IT in India finalized its Policy on Open Standards for e-Governance, joining the ranks of emerging economies like Brazil, South Africa and others. » Read more

3 CommentsPosted 19 Nov 2010 by Venkatesh Hariharan (Venky) (Red Hat)

Diversifying Saudi Arabia through open source and its university-by-design

Last week I attended the EPIC conference in New York City. One of the more interesting topics came by way of Saudi Arabia. If you haven’t heard of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or KAUST, you’re missing out on one of the grander experiments at the intersection of government, culture, economic development, and academia.   » Read more

0 CommentsPosted 10 Nov 2010 by Art Seavey

East meets West: the U.S.-India open government dialogue

Yesterday, U.S. President Barack Obama addressed members of the Indian parliament and announced a U.S.-India Open  Government Dialogue. Addressing a rare joint session of the Indian Parliament that brought together the two different houses -- the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha -- Obama said that as the world's largest democracy and the world's oldest one, India and the U.S. will work together on the initiative.
» Read more

0 CommentsPosted 9 Nov 2010 by Venkatesh Hariharan (Venky) (Red Hat)

Spaghetti Open Data: a little thing that feels right

A few weeks ago, after a happy hour in Rome, people started spontaneously to share links on Italian open data and tools to crunch them with. With a few others, I thought it would be nice to collect these links in one place, a sort of one stop shop for people interested in transparency not just in theory, but in the practice of extracting information from public data. » Read more

0 CommentsPosted 4 Nov 2010 by Alberto Cottica