Updates from OSI Affiliate members (Sept. 2021)

Below are updates, news and event information from some of our Affiliate Members.

OpenProject

Free and open source project management software.

JOOMLA (Open Source Matters)
A free and open source, mobile-ready and user-friendly way to build your website

  • Joomla 4.0 and Joomla 3.10 are here! After 9 years of hard work by our volunteers, we are proud to announce the release of our new major version, Joomla 4.0, alongside Joomla 3.10, known as “the bridge”. Joomla enables website creators to create powerful websites, where maintaining its content is easy and seamless. Build a beautiful, scalable website that will grow with your business.

KDE

25 Years of Bringing Free Software to the People

  • Within the FLOSS community, KDE is probably best known for its powerful and versatile Plasma desktop environment. Outside the Open Source bubble, KDE is known for its world-class apps, from creativity-boosting programs for artists and filmmakers, to educational software used by millions for children, as well as a never-ending stream of frameworks, IDEs and utilities that provide devs worldwide with the means to create applications for any platform.

OpenInfra Foundation

An open source foundation supporting a global community to build and operate open infrastructure software

  • Join us for OpenInfra Live: Keynotes, a two day special edition of OpenInfra Live for you to meet the newest players to the open infrastructure space, interact with leaders of open source projects like OpenStack and Kubernetes to hear how the projects are supporting OpenInfra use cases like hybrid cloud, gain insight into public cloud economics and the role open source technologies play, and celebrate as we announce this year’s Superuser Awards winner. This will be the one time everyone will be coming together this year. Come interact with the global OpenInfra community—Live on November 17 – 18 at 9am CT/1500 UTC!

OpenForum Europe

A not-for-profit, Brussels-based independent think tank which explains the merits of openeness in computing across Europe

  • The European Commission just published a landmark study on the impact of Open Source on the European economy (which was conducted together with Fraunhofer ISI). The study recommends setting up Open Source Program Offices in European governments and providing more official funding towards OS. It found that if there was a 10% increase in OS contributions in the EU, the region would see additional €100 billion in its yearly GDP.

Brandeis GPS

Graduate Professional Studies offering fully online open source microcourses

  • Take part in a micro-course at Brandeis University and join your fellow peers and collaborators in a program endorsed by the OSI. The Open Source Technology Management program consists of six non-credit four-week micro-courses that can be accessed in any order with a seamless path to collect digital badges, earn a full-program certificate and the option to earn graduate-level credit. The next micro-course, Establish an Open Source Program Office, starts on October 18. To learn more, please visit their website or contact the Brandeis corporate team at partnerships@brandeis.edu.

The Xerte Project

Provide high quality free software to educators all over the world

  • The Xerte Project is delighted to announce the release of Xerte v3.10, with a heap of new features and enhancements. See the release notes, download from https://xerte.org.uk. The recordings from our Xerte21 event are available here. Xerte is used by thousands of tutors around the world, and the content they create reaches millions of learners.

Open Research Institute

Non-profit research and development organization, provides their work to the general public under the principles of Open Source and Open Access to Research

  • Open Research Institute, Inc. is the co-host of the upcoming IEEE Information Theory Chapter Event “Space and Satellite Symposium – The Role of Information Theory in Space with Special Emphasis on Amateur Radio and Amateur Satellite” to be held 30 October 2021 8am-12pm US Pacific. The event features open source and open access work in the space and satellite field. Register for free and if you are interested in presenting, please read through the call for participation.
  • On 2 September, 2021, Open Research Institute, received an advisory opinion from US Commerce Department BIS.The letter confirmed that posting information on the internet so that it is available to the public means that open source amateur satellite communications work is not subject to the Export Administration Regulation (EAR). Michelle Thompson, ORI CEO, highlighted the value of the work for the amateur radio satellite service and also placed the results in a broader context. “This is a significant regulatory success for open source amateur satellite work and open source in general.”
  • All documents and links to presentations about the work are freely available on github. Ms. Thompson continued with appreciation for the team. “Thank you to those who have supported and assisted ORI during the many stages of this successful regulatory endeavor. Making a successful argument requires competence, persistence, and patience. ORI will build upon this work moving forward in order to advance the aims and purposes of open source amateur radio work.”

Drupal

Free and open-source web content management system

  • The Drupal Core Contribution Coordinators, supported by the Drupal Association, are holding their first Mentor Summit, to help train more mentors introducing contribution to Drupal, on 17th September. More details.
  • DrupalCon Europe 2021 has just released its schedule for the event, taking place 4-7th October online. See the full schedule.

TODO Group

An open group of organizations who want to collaborate on practices, tools, and other ways to run successful and effective open source projects

CAVO

Mission to develop and make available open voting systems for use in public elections

TikiWiki

Free and open source Wiki-based content management system and online office suite

Breathing Games

Community of heath care professionals and open source developers collaborating to transform breathing therapy into games

Sysarmy

Provides comprehensive cybersecurity solutions

  • OSI affiliate sysarmy is organizing the 8th edition of nerdear.la, our yearly conference for nerds in Latin America. Last year’s event included 30,000 people registering to 130+ talks and workshops entirely for free and featured keynotes from legends such as Alan Kay, Brian Kernighan and Jon “Maddog” Hall.
    This year’s event (Oct 20-23) will have over 150+ sessions and workshops and will have even more legendary keynote speakers. More information on Nerdear.la official website.

OpenUK

Represents the business of Open in the UK

  • OpenUK Kids Camp is back for a second year and this year has made 5000 OpenUK Gloves inspired by MiMu, making an open source based sustainable glove. 3800 gloves are available to individuals, schools and community groups, and 1200 are complete with microbit two and reserved for digitally excluded young people to help break down the digital divide. The second OpenUK Kids Camp will begin on 4 October and each Episode has been inspired by one of the 10 Open Source Definitions and additionally teaches coding in Make Code, Python and Java. Each Lesson is accompanied by an ezine to support the learning with educational content on individuals working in open source, Foundations, open data, belonging and sustainability. The content is all creative commons and free to use. Order a glove if you are in the UK or take a look at the Camp content from last year, and this year’s as it is shared at openuk.uk/openkidscamp #openkidscamp.
  • The third and final phase of OpenUK’s report which established the UK’s leading position in open source software, as number one in Europe with up to 43.15bn per annum in contribtuion to GDP in phase one, then shared the output of a survey demonstrating 89% of UK businesses run open source software, will look at the Values of open source in the UK and be shared on 13 October. You can see Phases one and two at openuk.uk/stateofopen
  • OpenUK will be hosting the Open Technology for Sustainability Day at the Skypark Fringe within the Security Cordon at COP26 on 11 November. The event will be for circa 200 in person delegates and content will be shared in two tracks across two domes, with the main dome content being live streamed. Booking details and the agenda for the day will be shared at openuk.uk/sustainability in early October. The event will be keynoted by the Hon Francis Maude, Lord Maude of Horsham, the instigator of GDS and the UK’s world leading policies on open source in the public sector, which have been replicated across the globe and is sponsored by Red Hat who will lead a session on collaboration. OpenUK’s Award presentation will be conducted in the evening from the stage at COP26 in a hybrid ceremony with 100 face to face attendees and 150 digital attendees.