Life

Facebook's developer-focused (and open?) culture

Usually when Facebook comes up at opensource.com, it's because they've done something that's very much the opposite of open. But a blog post on FrameThink this week showed Facebook's more open side. » Read more

2 CommentsPosted 21 Jan 2011 by Ruth Suehle (Red Hat)

Tron: An open source legacy

I was pretty excited to see the announcement about a sequel to Tron. The original movie was one that helped define my career as a bona fide geek. I still remember being wowed by the light cycles and over-the-top scenes.

When I first started using Linux, one of the first open source games I played was GLTron, a faithful recreation of the movie's light-cycle scenes. Maybe it was the simple, fast-paced gameplay or the fact that the graphics were identical to that of the film in almost every way, but that game still sticks out in my mind as one of my first open source » Read more

11 CommentsPosted 19 Jan 2011 by Travis Kepley (Red Hat)

Anniversary edition t-shirt giveaway: Follow us on Twitter or identi.ca

NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.

As our first anniversary approaches, we wanted to thank everyone who has followed us on Twitter and identi.ca. Not only are they the first place many of you see when we've posted new stories, but they've also been a great tool for us to meet like minds and find stories of open source in the world. » Read more

8 CommentsPosted 18 Jan 2011 by opensource.com Admin (Red Hat)

Vote for the 2010 People's Choice Award

On January 25, opensource.com will reach its one-year anniversary. As a part of the celebration, we want you to choose your favorite opensource.com contributor for the 2010 People's Choice Award.

Voting will be open through January 27, 2011, and the winner will be announced on January 28, 2011.

Voting is now closed.

5 CommentsPosted 17 Jan 2011 by opensource.com Admin (Red Hat)

Google kills H.264 in Chrome

The Internet reacted to yesterday's post on the Chromium blog with astounding speed. What caused the hubbub? » Read more

6 CommentsPosted 12 Jan 2011 by Ruth Suehle (Red Hat)

Open source returns integrity to science

Imagine it is 1912, but that the Titanic is fitted with an underwater radar system. Imagine that it senses an iceberg so large that even the captain can understand that by the law of conservation of momentum, the ship will be stopped in its path. Should the captain use the radar information to inform the decision to alter course, or should the captain ignore it because radar is merely an invention of science therefore prone to exaggeration and false findings? » Read more

5 CommentsPosted 12 Jan 2011 by Michael Tiemann (Red Hat)

Open source film making with Todd Harris

Canadian documentary filmmaker Todd Harris gets up close and personal with the communities he films. He is especially attracted to stories that involve an underdog fighting for justice against government and corporate interests, where he can cover a side of the conflict that is usually untouched by mainstream media. Until a few years ago, he restricted himself to issues that were particular to Canada. Now he plans to extend his research into the international realm.

I first noticed Todd two years ago at the infamous Dump Site 41 protest in the Georgian Bay area of Ontario, Canada, as he casually surfed the crowd, sometimes talking, sometimes filming. But it wasn't until his film aired at Georgian College one blustery night in December 2010 that I realized who he was. » Read more

0 CommentsPosted 10 Jan 2011 by Beverly Pearl

Transparency in energy usage

I'm pretty passionate about renewable energy. After I read Thomas L. Friedman's "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" I was sold on higher prices for gas and putting solar panels on every roof in America. In fact, I was so eager to contribute, I had 18 solar panels installed on the roof of my home.

When I was checking out the energy infographic, "Interactive Transparency: America's Energy, Where It's From and How It's Used" over at GOOD, I was re-energized on the topic of renewable and sustainable energy.

I couldn't agree more with GOOD's opening statement: » Read more

0 CommentsPosted 6 Jan 2011 by Jason Hibbets (Red Hat)

Anti-openness gifts: An open advocate's confessions

For my birthday several months ago, I got a Kindle. No fewer than three people have since asked me, "What are you doing with a Kindle? It's not very open source-y."

Confession: I love my Kindle. I only have one book to carry when I travel. I can play games. And it let me tweet from Paris over free 3G from Open World Forum, where cell data was expensive and, like many conferences, the wifi was shaky. Surely that counts for something?

But the accusers are right. It's not very "open source-y." The DRM is painful and prevents sharing. » Read more

7 CommentsPosted 4 Jan 2011 by Ruth Suehle (Red Hat)

Mashing up library data with open source

When I was approached nearly five years ago now and asked to put together an edited work on how libraries can use mashups to improve services, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed that the topic wasn't going to be open source software instead. Before the ink had even dried on my mashups book though I was offered the opportunity I wanted, a book on open source software for libraries. Now when I'm asked to speak at conferences and events the topic of interest is either open source or mashups, but never both. While there are of course differences in these two types of technologies, there are also similarities. » Read more

2 CommentsPosted 3 Jan 2011 by Nicole C. Engard