How to Create an Open Source Policy | Open Source Delivers Creating an open source software policy is a strategic imperative for organizations in the software industry. But what does a strategic policy include, and how can you implement one? What is an OSS Management Policy? Let’s start by defining an open source management policy. It is a set of rules and guidelines for using and managing OSS in your organization. Open Source Management Policy Development Process There are four key steps to developing an open source management policy: Identify key stakeholdersObtain an organizational commitmentDraft the policyReview and approve the policy Step 1: Identify Key Stakeholders Identifying and including important stakeholders should be first on your list. Step 2: Obtain an Organizational Commitment This is the most important success factor! An effective way to solidify this commitment is collecting and disseminating information about your organization’s use and plans for OSS. Step 3: Draft the Policy Step 4: Review and Approve the Policy
Browser Cartography: Some Safehouses for ESRI Refugees Now that you know why I care about telling compelling stories with widely-distributed maps, let's look at a few of the many tools that are out there to help the process. I confess to narrow experience here; I use MapBox and CartoDB for the majority of my projects, and there are plenty of alternatives to those. But as a starting point I think that these open-source web map design platforms are perfect - they minimize the amount of code required, they use the best graphic rendering engine in the field, and they are extremely cheap (or free) to use, even in an enterprise or high-traffic environment. I'm avoiding ESRI's "ArcWhatever Online for Server" options because of a.) the high price tag, and b.) the actual user-facing sites are only as robust as the javascript or flash developer who builds them. My preferred options give you a lot more to work with out of the box, for free. Step 1: Data Data in this context can mean a lot of different things. Step 3: Mapping Your Data
GnuCash accounting software Alternative to Money and Quicken | OSMONEY GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL and available on Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, Solaris, Mac OS X, and other Unix-like platforms. A Microsoft Windows (2000 or newer) port was made available starting with the 2.2.0 series. Designed to be easy to use, yet powerful and flexible, GnuCash allows you to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses. As quick and intuitive to use as a checkbook register, it is based on professional accounting principles to ensure balanced books and accurate reports. GnuCash is a free and open source accounting software program that implements a double-entry bookkeeping system. It was initially aimed at developing capabilities similar to Intuit, Inc.’s Quicken application, but also has features for small business accounting. Feature Highlights Small business accounting features Share
The Top 50 Proprietary Programs that Drive You Crazy — and Their Open Source Alternatives | WHDb The Top 50 Proprietary Programs that Drive You Crazy — and Their Open Source Alternatives Update January 22, 2013: This article was originally posted February 7, 2008. Since then, it has been one of our most popular articles here at WHdb.com. In light of this, we have decided to give this article an update for 2013: we cleaned out some obsolete links and added a New for 2013 section. Enjoy! Not every proprietary program can drive a person crazy, right? The following fifty sixty proprietary programs are listed in no particular order within broad categories along with their open source alternatives. Jump to: Operating Systems & Web Browsers | Office Suites | Office Tools | Productivity | Graphic Programs | Web Editors | Desktop Publishing | Communications | Media | Utilities | Security | Financial | New for 2013 Operating Systems & Web Browsers Windows 10 to Ubuntu: This is Microsoft’s operating system (OS), and even Microsoft fans have become disillusioned with this product. Office Suites
Top Content Management Systems Are you looking to create your own website or for your clients? No longer do you need to create a website from scratch, it’s now easier than ever because of the many Content Management Systems available at your fingertips. I’ve put together a collection of the most popular open source, free to download CMS for you to consider when creating your next website depending on your particular need or requirements These CMS gives you rapid deployment, support, online communities and contributors, plugins/add-ons. WordPress WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. The core software is built by hundreds of community volunteers, and when you’re ready for more there are thousands of plugins and themes available to transform your site into almost anything you can imagine. URL: Joomla Joomla is an award-winning content management system (CMS), which enables you to build Web sites and powerful online applications. URL: Drupal
Thunderbird [1] : compte Gmail Thunderbird [1] : compte Gmail Le présent support explique comment installer Thunderbird et paramétrer dessus un compte Gmail. Avant la présentation de cette procédure, j’ai proposé un certains nombre d’explications, critiques, concernant en particulier les webmails. Si vous souhaitez zapper la dite explication, rendez-vous directement sur l’étape de paramétrage du webmail et d’installation de Thunderbird. Vous avez créé un compte de messagerie électronique sur un service en ligne tel que Gmail ou Yahoo (voir supports). Bon. Nous sommes bien d’accord que, pour rentrer dans votre messagerie, vous faites appel à un navigateur internet, sur lequel vous devez afficher le site de messagerie (par exemple, Gmail), puis ensuite taper votre identifiant et votre mot de passe. Vous utilisez donc ce que l’on appelle un webmail, c’est à dire, un service en ligne de messagerie électronique, lequel nécessite d’employer obligatoirement, répétons-le, un navigateur Internet. Nous y voilà ! Installez :
Duncan McKean | How non-programmers can contribute to open source projects I get asked a lot by people who are interested in helping out open source projects, but have absolutely no programming skills. What can they do? Well, here’s a few ideas how non-programmers can contribute to open source projects. * It is worth noting that it is best to contribute to software that you actually use yourself. That way you feel the benefits. Use the Product The best way to contribute to open source projects is to use the products themselves. Bug Test Because you are now using the product, occasionally it’ll crash when you try and do something. Get in touch with the developers and tell them. Each projects will have a link to submit a bug. Write Documentation Help write the documentation for the project so it is clearer and easier to understand. Most of the time the developers are too busy developing and so the documentation needs some TLC. Translation Offer relevant skills you have Look at individual projects and see what they need. Evangelise Donate Be Professional
10 open-source alternatives for small business software You can’t run a business—even a small one—without technology. You need computers, smartphones, file storage, a website, and a whole host of other tech assets. So how do you afford it all with a budget that’s tighter than a hipster’s jeans? Sure, some costs simply can’t be avoided, but you can get the tools you need without maxing your credit line. One of the easiest ways is to swap out expensive commercial software for open-source alternatives. To point you in the right direction, we rounded up free alternatives for the most common software used by small and medium businesses. Office suite: LibreOffice With its word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software, Microsoft Office is the heart and soul of productivity for most businesses. LibreOffice offers the same general functionality in a free package. Email: Thunderbird Email is the primary method of communication for most businesses. You can save that $95 per user, though, by switching to Thunderbird for your email. CRM: SugarCRM
Mieux former les développeurs Open Source aux questions juridiques La Fondation Linux estime que l'Open Source nécessite des connaissances juridiques que ne possèdent pas toujours les développeurs. Afin d'éviter des difficultés juridiques de gestion de propriété intellectuelle concernant les projets Open Source, des développeurs mieux formés à ces questions sont indispensables, estime la Fondation Linux. Mais leur formation ne constitue pas l'unique solution, ont fait valoir d'autres membres de la communauté du libre lors de la conférence européenne LinuxCon qui s'est déroulée cette semaine à Edimbourg. L'adoption de l'Open Source engage des connaissances juridiques qui dépassent parfois celles des équipes qui développent des projets et qui ont souvent des difficultés à se débrouiller avec les problèmes de copyright, de brevets, de licences et de compatibilité, selon Jim Zemlin, directeur exécutif de la Fondation Linux. Une grande complexité sur le plan juridique