Productivity hacks, back to school tools and tips, and more

The Opensource.com preview for August
290 readers like this.
school supplies for back to school

Opensource.com

Lots of expected arrivals are planned for August here at Opensource.com. For one, I'll be away from my desk taking care of a new baby... back in December! 

For articles, some stories some tutorials, we'll bring you a series focused on going back to school—how open source courses and tools improve the lives of students and teachers everywhere. We'll celebrate a few anniversaries with timely articles on OpenStreetMap, GNOME, and the Linux kernel. And, we're looking for articles on home automation projects, productivity hacks for tech folks, and interesting projects for better UX and design in open source.

Home automation projects

You've been sending in a steady stream of home automation projects and IoT ideas, and we want more! How are you or is someone you know using an open source tool or program or hardware to rig up a fun home project (coffee brewing while you're in bed?) or security feature (no more raccoons eating out of your bird feeder late at night!)? Tell us by sending your idea to open@opensource.com or completing our webform.

Productivity hacks for tech folks

Last year at All Things Open in Raleigh, NC, Jason Baker and I gave a talk highlighting open source productivity hacks from tools to methods. See our slide deck. Now, we want to hear from you: What tools and best practices work for you? Send your ideas to open@opensource.com or complete our webform.

Better UX and design in open source

Ever wonder why open source projects and tools tend to get the short end of the UX stick? We want to help do something about it, so we want you to share stories of great open source design and user experiences with us. Let's tackle this problem together. Share by emailing open@opensource.com or completing our webform.

The Open Org

The open organization community just keeps getting busier. In July, the Open Organization Ambassadors released the first version of their long-awaited Open Organization Maturity Model, a document anyone can use to help an organization become more open. You can expect to hear more about the model in the coming weeks and months! In the meantime, settle in for more fantastic open organization stories in August. Next month, Sam Knuth will explain the specific and crucial roles a manager plays in open organizations, and Allison Matlack explains how open leaders can really help people "own their careers." Jen Kelchner will continue her three-part series on openness and digital transformation, while DeLisa Alexander will tackle the tricky problem of achieving alignment in open workplaces.

User profile image.
Jen leads a team of community managers for the Digital Communities team at Red Hat. She lives in Raleigh with her husband and daughters, June and Jewel.

2 Comments

Lots to great content and I'm looking forward to it too. Best wishes on the #BabyWatch

I look forward to contributing some open design stories covering UX design using open source and open community model.

Best wishes on the #BabyWatch.
(Hashtag credit @don-watkins)

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.