Open Source Development and Documentation Project Guide
This collaborative book can serve as the handbook for the OSDDP community, to include texts such as
guides on using site features
community policies for submitting content and posting projects and issues
review processes for contributing to or revising content in this guide
lists of resources of interest to the OSDDP community
and a portfolio of exemplary content provided to OSDDP clients.
Overview of the Open Source Development and Documentation Project
Introduction
Students and professors at Purdue University have implemented the Open Source Development and Documentation Project (OSDDP) to create, share, and revise open source documentation with others. OSDDP is a collaborative effort to achieve technical and business writing goals that can rarely be reached by a single student. Purdue students in a variety of English courses in the Professional Writing major will study open source software, write about it, talk to its designers and users, and use the software themselves. This experience will help the students write and test user documentation. Their new experiences will empower various organizations to promote their software to new markets and new communities. They will also develop action plans for deploying such software in new business and academic ventures.
Purpose
Although the various professional writing programs at Purdue University have been client-oriented for some time now, the OSDDP project provides a foundation to build an expanded user base. Users will be able to interact using a standardized interface at a centralized online location where comments and revisions can be accessed. Anyone with an internet connection will now be able to access the resources of the OSDDP.
By expanding the client based curriculum, students will gain more of a real world feel of the business world. Clients will be able to post relevant issues on the OSDDP site concerning open source issues and students will be able to create content for those clients. This will aid the clients by freeing their time and saving them money, and it will aid the students by giving them experience with issues relevant to the world outside of academia.
By allowing students to collaborate in a centralized location, they are able to create recommendation reports, such as on converting static HTML websites to Drupal. Students can also implement open source software solutions in business, document for the open source applications, and provide white papers on specific open source solutions for clients.
Features
Projects and Issues
The most versatile attribute of OSDDP is the Projects and Issues feature. New projects and papers are posted under this section of OSDDP on a regular basis, enabling the users in the community to easily post comments, opinions, critiques, and any other suggestions. These contributions are fundamental to any collaborative project and create a process of constant review and revision.
Project Management
OSDDP fully utilizes its Projects and Issues feature by granting the ability to assign a particular project or issue to an individual or team. Once an issue/project has been assigned, the user can post updates and revisions to the issue/project, while at the same time allowing the public to post responses and suggestions.
Community Engagement and Client Outreach
By providing the user with the client list and the ongoing client progress reports, the community is able to keep a close tie in sharing its information. The members of the community or OSDDP include the participating professional writing instructors and students.
OSDDP Guide
A large collection of community-built resources concerning the use of OSDDP will be maintained for reference purposes in the OSDDP Guide. Here, users seeking additional information will be able to find anything from user guides and site policies to white papers explaining open source issues. Best of all, all of this material, like the rest of the site, will be made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike2.0 License.
Licensing
The open source principles of community involvement do not necessarily apply only to software development. In 2001, cyber law and intellectual property experts along with MIT professors founded an organization known as Creative Commons. This organization’s purpose is to apply open source principles to intellectual property outside of the computer science world. Artwork, music, writing, and open source documentation can all take advantage of community involvement.
Webliography
OSDDP allows projects to cite sources in an online version of a bibliography, known here as a webliography. Because it is online, the webliography will be dynamic, allowing its users to update changes in real time. Perhaps the webliography's biggest advantage is its ability to simply link to cited online material. The ability to provide a centralized location to link all used resources will prove to be very beneficial.
Why Use OSDDP?
In short, productivity. OSDDP uses Drupal, an open source content management system, to organize the projects site members submit. Using the selection of tools OSDDP provides, the direct OSDDP users and their clients have the ability to concurrently work on numbers of projects.
One individual may work on several simultaneous projects, and any particular project can have a number of contributors. Cooperation is made easy through the use of communication, allowing users from any location to contribute ideas and content alike. Organization within any particular project is also simplified through the use of controls. They allow the user to mark the document as active, needing review, completed, etc. Project leaders can be identified, and project status can be assigned and updated. Users can also search through the projects based on these states.
Overall, the effectiveness of OSDDP will grow as the number of users grows. Community networking will be the driving force behind the success of projects. Users are encouraged to contribute what they can to projects that interest them.
Project Description: OSDDP as an Emergent Network
In this section, project planners will describe the goals of the OSDDP and its theoretical and philosophical rationale.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
General
Q. What does OSDDP stand for?
A. OSDDP stands for Open Source Development and Documentation Project.
Q. What is the main purpose of OSDDP?
A. The main purpose of OSDDP is to provide a place where everyone can learn project development from each other through open source development as well as develop skills for producing professional and technical documents.
Q. What is a secondary purpose of OSDDP?
A. The secondary purpose of OSDDP is to provide open source documentation to the Purdue University Technical and Business Writing students as well as anyone who is interested in open source. This is an ongoing project that will allow Purdue students of future semesters to develop the work done by current students.
Q. Who is OSDDP for?
A. OSDDP is a community site designed for anyone interested in open source development and documentation organization as well as for the Purdue University students in Technical Writing (ENGL 421) and Business Writing (ENGL 420).
Q: Who is working on OSDDP?
A: Purdue University Technical Writing (English 421) and Business Writing (English 420) students, along with instructors, are working on OSDDP in order to learn more about Open Source documentation. Please visit the Purdue Professional Writing Program to find out more about 420 and 421.
Q. Who is heading the OSDDP project?
A. The co-directors of Purdue University's OSDDP project are Dr. David Blakesley and Charles Lowe.
Q: Who can join OSDDP?
A: Anyone is able to join OSDDP. All that is needed is an account. See “How do I create an account in OSDDP?” to create a user account.
Q. What is Drupal?
A: Drupal is an Open Source CMS reliant heavily on a large community of co-developers/users. It is the software running the OSDDP site. More information can be found at Drupal.
Q: Can I copy and use OSDDP documentation on my site?
A: A tool on the OSDDP website that allows one to search through the site content. You would use this to find a particular comment, issue, project, or OSDDP user. However, Search does not handle punctuation very well. If there is punctuation included in the query then it will return a null every time.
Q: Where can I find a glossary of important terms for understanding the OSDDP and open source?
A: Please go to Glossary or click on the question mark (?) symbol that appears next to glossary terms wherever they appear.
Q. Which Content Management System is being used?
A. Drupal is the Content Management System (CMS) used on the OSDDP website.
Q: Where is the RSS feed for OSDDP?
A: On the bottom left hand corner of every page there is an icon labeled XML. This is the RSS feed for OSDDP. The RSS feed allows RSS-aware programs to stay up to date on the changes in the OSDDP weblogs.
Support
Q: How do I create an account in OSDDP?
A: To create an account, scroll to the bottom of the left hand frame and click the link “create an account”. Follow the instructions, and check your email account for your temporary password.
Q. Can I use my login from an OSDDP partner site, such as Drupal?
A. Yes. As a convenience to the many shared members, users can use their Drupal distributed login from a partner site, such as Drupal, for the OSDDP site.
Q. How do I change my password?
A. After logging in to the OSDDP website with your username and password, on the toolbar on the left:
- Click 'my account.'
- Click 'edit account.'
In the Edit account form, fill in both password boxes with your desired password, then select 'Save user information' at the bottom of the screen.
A: Within the description of each task, the creator of the task will have included a list of the people working on the task. The description is filled in during the submitting process. To find the one person responsible for the task, check the post by viewing it. The “Assigned” field is the name of the coordinator for the particular issue.
Q: What is the difference between commenting on an issue and updating an issue?
A: Commenting on an issue includes discussion and criticism. Any user can make comments. Users who are assigned to the task or are working on it should do the updating of an issue. Updating an issue allows more options, such as file attachment. Also see Submitting Projects and Issues.
Q: How do I submit to the front page?
A: First login using your user account. Once logged in click Create Content and then select story. Here you can type in a title and description to be added to the front page. Select submit when finished. Front page stories are bumped down as new stories are submitted.
Q: How can I see the latest content?
A: On the OSDDP home page under the ‘Navigation’ heading, click on ‘recent posts’ for a list of the most recently posted issues and comments. People can also “subscribe” to projects so that they receive new posts by email. Look under Projects > Issues > Subscribe.
Press Releases
Open source networked learning helps writing students excel at Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN -- October 13th, 2004 -- The Professional Writing Program at Purdue University has implemented an evolution in service learning called the Open Source Development and Documentation Project (OSDDP). As members of a community formed to integrate learning with the open source development model, students, teachers, and clients are working together to develop documentation of and related to open source. Through their involvement in the project, students are gaining valuable experience in collaboration much needed for professional development while building business and technical communication skills
OSDDP is currently designated as a pilot program and is being used in almost a dozen business and technical writing courses offered through the English Department at the university. “[OSDDP] is initiating a new major course project involving service learning and community engagement, which Purdue is very interested in and that we see as critical to learning to write in the 21st century workplace,” explains Dr. David Blakesley, Director of Professional Writing at Purdue University.
The idea for OSDDP was derived from the concept of an open source development community, a widely practiced method of development and sharing that was previously relegated almost wholly to the software industry. Open source was made popular by such large scale projects as the Linux operating system. The success of such projects has been well documented and used as a stepping stone in developing new trends in open source.
The work of OSDDP generally takes on several different forms and acts as a way for individuals with no business or commercial interest in the work to provide insight, criticism and even contributions. “We think students will benefit greatly from this experience,” said Blakesley, “We don’t see this as traditional service learning, but as networked learning, because students are insinuating themselves into the ongoing conversations and processes that shape our culture…both service learning and networked learning are terrific ways to teach business, technical, and multimedia writing because students learn transferable rhetorical principles in interesting and complex situations. And they have fun doing it!”
Students enrolled in a professional writing course at Purdue that integrates OSDDP will have a chance to
Study open source software
Develop OSDDP policies and resources
Talk to software designers and users both electronically and in-person
Use the open source software themselves.
Write and test user documentation
Help organizations promote their software in the wider community
Develop action plans for deploying such software in nonprofit organizations locally and nationally, new business enterprise, and academic contexts.
If this program proves to be successful it could usher in a new era of collaborative education in American universities. With the recent success stories produced by open source efforts such as Linux, the idea is being widely accepted as a new standard for creative and rapid project development. The ability to get input on such a large scale, and to do so in a manner that allows individuals the ability to lend their own creative talents to the work, could make for a revolution in how we view writing development. One drawback to such a system tends to be the unorganized and somewhat chaotic manner in which responses are gathered and applied. This has been solved within Linux by implementing step-by-step development.
In the case of OSDDP, the community uses Drupal, an open source content management system, to manage documentation construction and workflow. Both student and teacher document teams develop their projects on the site via a public review process using Drupal's project management module. Completed documentation, whether published to the site or supplied to clients, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. Thanks to this open source license, subsequent semesters of students and teachers can continue to build on previous projects, creating an opportunity for continual growth of OSDDP not possible in traditional professional writing projects for the classroom.
The OSDDP program at Purdue is the first of its kind and it could lead to a major breakthrough in the collaborative writing world if it is able to achieve the lofty goal that it has set for itself. The students and faculty remain optimistic that the program will be a roaring success at Purdue and will spread throughout the technical writing community, and quickly become the standard for writing collaboration.
For more information, visit the project website at
In a new initiative to foster what Dr. David Blakesley calls "networked learning," Purdue University students interact with new people and new technologies to provide valuable open source documentation. Students in a variety of English courses in the Professional Writing major will study open source software, talk to its designers and users, use the software themselves, then write and test user documentation, help organizations promote their software in the wider community, and even develop action plans for deploying such software in new business and academic ventures.
"We think students will benefit greatly from this experience," said Blakesley, an associate professor of English and Director of Professional Writing. "We don't see this as traditional service learning, but as networked learning, because students are insinuating themselves into the ongoing conversations and processes that shape our culture, and becoming actors in this broader network by producing something this network culture values. Both service learning and networked learning are terrific ways to teach business, technical, and multimedia writing because students learn transferable rhetorical principles in interesting and complex situations. And they have fun doing it! Leading the charge in developing the open source documentation project at Purdue are Meredith Zoetewey, Assistant Director of Professional Writing, and Jennie Blankert, who mentors instructors and also teaches advanced courses in professional writing. Charles Lowe, a graduate student in English at Florida State University and continuing lecturer at Purdue, is a widely recognized leader of the open education movement (see http://open-education.org/ along with Dr. Samantha Blackmon, assistant professor of English at Purdue.
For more information, come back here and watch how the first group of students networks with people, learns about Drupal, and sets a new course for networked learning. It seems to be already happening.
--Updated 8/21/04--DB
Supporting Units at Purdue
Professional Writing Program Description
The OSDDP Community
Announcements
Members of the OSDDP
Participating Professional Writing Instructors
Participating Students
Policies
Student Grant Program Application
APPLICATION
Purdue University, West Lafayette
STUDENT GRANT PROGRAM
FOR
COMMUNITY SERVICE/SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS
Name of Student or Student Organization: English 420 & 421 Students, c/o:
Dr. David Blakesley
Address: Purdue University, Department of English, 500 Oval Drive West Lafayette,
IN 47907
Address: Department of English, Purdue University, 500 Oval Drive, West Lafayette,
IN 47907
Description of Project/Service (250 words or less):
In a new initiative to foster networked learning and community engagement on
a wide scale, Purdue students and instructors in English 420 and 421 will
interact with new people and new technologies to provide valuable Open Source
Software Development and Documentation. Students in a variety of English
courses in the Professional Writing major and service courses will study
Open Source Software, talk to its designers and users electronically and
in-person, use the software themselves, then write and test user documentation,
help organizations promote their software in the wider community, and develop
action plans for deploying such software in nonprofit organizations locally
and nationally, new business enterprise, and academic contexts.
The project will be a major feature of English 420 (“Business Writing”)
and English 421 (“Technical Writing”), which currently enroll 1,100
students per semester. The project is modeled on the grand scale of EPICs.
At this early stage, we have developed a substantial project website and communications
hub for all students and instructors:
We think students will benefit greatly from this experience of networking
with others in the lively spaces that support community development of Open
Source software solutions. We don't see this as traditional service learning,
but as networked learning, because students are insinuating themselves into
the ongoing conversations and processes that shape our culture, and becoming
actors in this broader network by producing something this network culture
values. Both service learning and networked learning are terrific ways to teach
business, technical, and multimedia writing because students learn transferable
rhetorical principles in interesting and complex situations. The project will
build from semester-to-semester and so contribute to the ongoing development
of Open Source for all.
Proposed Budget
Income: List expected revenue for the project (if any) including sources and
amounts. Community organizations or agencies receiving the service might choose
to participate in the cost of the project or service.
No income is expected from completing this project.
Expenses: List the expected expenses by expenditure type and amount. The following
areas are included as approvable expenditures: publicity, printing, postage,
transportation, supplies and materials necessary to complete the project, and
minimal refreshment costs where justified as necessary for the service or project.
• Printing/Duplicating Flyers and Brochures - $400
•
Colloquium on the OSDDP Project, with Guest Speaker (Open to Purdue Community)-
$600
•
Open Source Site Hosting of Project (for 2 years) - $265
•
Domain Name for Project (for 5 years) - $50
•
Books for Open Source Resource Library - $185
TOTAL = $1,500.00
Note: For the colloquium, we have made preliminary arrangements to bring in
Zach Rosen, the founder and director of CivicSpace. (See www.civicspacelabs.org).
Mr. Rosen is a principal architect of DeanSpace, the online community/environment
that revolutionized the process of political action in the age of the Internet.
We have also begun arranging for students to work on the future development
of CivicSpace, an Open Source software solution that nonprofit organizations
and civic groups can use to share their ideas and thus form a networked community.
____________________________________
Signature of Purdue Sponsor - Date
____________________________________
Signature of Student
or president of Student Organization - Date
Professional Writing instructors at Purdue and elsewhere have included teaching resources useful for OSDDP activities.
Handouts and Activities
In this section, you can find handouts and activities that instructors have used in teaching OSDDP-related coursework.
3 Sample Deliverables plus a few teaching suggestions
Project 2 Examples
Sample Documents for Project Planning and (a few) Teaching Guidelines
Note: These sample documents are intended to complement a project
assigned in Technical Writing (ENGL 421). The assignment (provided
by Meredith Zoetewey) requires students to create three deliverables:
a documentation proposal (or plan), a task list, and a set of storyboards.
Simple examples of these three genres are below. The Teaching Guidelines
section describes how I used these samples, mentions some challenges
I encountered, and offers some suggestions for other instructors.
We propose to write documentation for three features
of the OSDDP's login function:
(1) getting a user account
(2) troubleshooting any problems new users may experience with their accounts
(3) editing an existing user account.
We will also include a brief section discussing
how to find out information about other users.
Audience:
Because the primary audience for our proposed documentation
consists of people without user accounts, they are probably by definition
new to the OSDDP site. However, there may be a secondary audience
of more experienced users (for example, other professional writing
instructors or returning students) who have forgotten their passwords,
want to edit their profile, or want to look up other users.
Justification
Although the process of creating a user account is fairly straightforward, new users may find such directions to be reassuring. In addition, some links and buttons are small or difficult to locate, such as the "Create New Account" link.
Relationship to other documentation
So far, we have found no documentation of this
topic on the OSDDP site; however, there may be guidelines in Drupal.
Personnel
Maria M., a junior in mechanical engineering, wrote
documentation during her internship with Honda last summer. Since
she has used WebCT for several classes in the past, she is familiar
with the process of logging into a protected content management site.
Since she has previously written documentation, she will outline the
first draft and make final edits.
Robert R., a senior in computer science, has extensive
programming experience. Since he is also an amateur photgrapher and
has access to screen capture software, he will take screen shots for
the storyboards and insert them into Maria's initial draft. He will
also draft the section on password reminders since he has already
forgotten his OSDDP password twice.
Schedule
Monday afternoon: outline initial draft and rough
out major sections (Maria).
Tuesday morning: review first draft for missing content and complete
first draft (Robert)
Tuesday afternoon: ask class to test a second version of documentation
Wednesday morning: revise based on test results, do a final edit,
proofread, (Maria) and upload (Robert)
Budget and Resources
This project requires use of a computer with word processing, web authoring, and presentation software. Access to screen shot software will be helpful, but it is not essential since screen captures may also be used.
Potential Problems
We expect that other students will be creating similar
documentation in the days ahead. While this is to be expected, we
will address it by keeping an eye on the OSDDP for new postings.
Students should read about project management and proposals.
The project itself and the deliverables should be introduced.
Possible Challenges & Teaching Suggestions
#1: Students may be confused about the relationship between the project management documents and the actual documentation: "Are we task listing and storyboarding project 2 or project 3?"
Tip: In general, students should plan to create task lists and storyboards for project 3. However, some student groups will choose complicated projects, and may therefore need to create a task list for project 2 in order to plan their planning.
#2: My students recommended introducing the course project and its deliverables ("You'll be creating a proposal, a task list, and storyboards") before introducing students to the OSDDP.
#3 Be sure that students aren't confusing documents (various types
of written texts) with documentation (instructions and descriptions).
Creating an article about the OSDDP and Pedagogy for Kairos
The main goal of our project was to create a web text for Kairos, the online journal, about the OSDDP, pedagogy, and online writing spaces. Kairos asked for research pertaining to the intersection of online writing spaces, rhetorical theory, and the composition classroom. The intersection that we speak of will discuss the theory that generally affects the teaching of composition. To achieve our main goal we wanted to ecourage access for various audiences to be aware and to view Purdue University's Open Source Development and Documentation Program and to eliminate the previous notion that writing in online spaces goes unrevised, remains unread, and reaches very few audiences.
Our project focused on the Open Source Development and Documentation Program or OSDDP that allows users to submit their research individually or as a team and at the same time allows others to access the website and revise and comment on the documentation work. In our project two classes were divided up into ten teams. The OSDDP team worked on formulating the purposes and goals of the OSDDP writing space. They informed how the website compares and contrasts to other open source technology. The business, technical, and professional writing team continued to talk about the OSDDP and how it helped to prepare students for other classes and the future work place. The team also spoke of the adaptability of technology and how an online writing space like OSDDP can be considered as an online textbook. The examples team provided some specific written examples from the OSDDP writing space and discussed how they have been or could be continuously revised in an online environment. They also included strategies for how to review our own web text project during its construction phase. The interview team interviewed various users and creators of OSDDP. The team also shared their own views, ideas, and arguments on the content of the interview. The research team designed questionnaires and compiled their results into a table. The learning communities and service learning team talked about the OSDDP serving as a learning community and service learning opportunity for users in related areas of study. They demonstrated how the open source community and the OSDDP relate by way of bringing the student and client base closer together. The technical team created a template that was well designed and appropriate for the text that we created. They helped assist all teams in the arrangement of their text for the overall web text document. The project management team oversaw the entire operation of the project. They set up time constraints, composed weekly status reports, and made sure every team was on task. The conclusions team did extensive research on all topics for the various teams at the same time developed a works cited and credits page and explained the class's purpose of undertaking this project. The theory team completed the introductory work and coordinated with the project management team. The team also focused on how the project affected the instructor and the students and what theory exists behind it.
Everyone has productively worked together on this project, collaborated on ideas, and worked well with the project management team. With this project we were able to get a glimpse of working on real life issues in a team atmosphere. The teams have all worked at a good pace and have interacted with one another in a helpful manner. We all shared the progress we made and gave revisions for one another's topic. It was like our own little OSDDP page since we were able to put our own work on a common disk drive and allowed other teams to revise and make suggestions, serving as a great resource and helping hand.
overview
This project asks you to write a portfolio of documents about the OSDDP for a real client, Kairos online peer reviewed journal. You will work as a member of a team to create documents that meet the needs of your client. You will use the Open Source Development and Documentation website to explore and discuss possible topics.
Each team will be responsible for a single area of research and/or production. Teams will produce a portfolio deliverables, provide technical support and design, organize and manage the project.
The client that we will be working for is Kairos, an online journal. The specific documents we will create respond to the requests of the journal found on their website.
purpose of this project
• formulate and examine a critical research question that relates to Open Source and the OSDDP
• practice developing the types of documents you will produce on the job
• practice finding resources that already exist (library research) and/or gathering and analyzing new information (field work)
• collaborate with a team to manage and produce a critical project
portfolio deliverables
Your options are open based on the topic you choose, who your intended audience is and what the purpose is for your research.
Some options are:
• Recommendation report
• Proposal
• Documentation
• Marketing materials
• Case study of open source community
• Client sheets – letters to clients, forms to keep track of,
• Interview questions/ research questions
• Audience Analysis
related readings
Open Source and Academia
Journals to look at for articles (these can be found in full text through Purdue library online, e-journals):
• Technical Communication Quarterly (TCQ)
• Journal of Business and Technical Communication (JBTC)
• College Composition and Communication (CCC)
• College English
You can also look at Kairos for other related materials.
Also look for books that you can use to relate to your project.
a professional business portfolio:
• fully achieves the purpose of the assignment: to explore and generate a critical research question and design a portfolio of documents that respond to that question
• demonstrates a thorough understanding of the writing context
• conforms to all conventions of formatting and design
• works well in both print and digital form
• is free of all typographical and grammatical errors
calendar
week 1: portfolio introduction
• introduce Critical Research Questions you will use to analyse open source in the workplace
• introduce portfolio and possible documents
• discuss Adaptive Project Management
week 2: establish the project
• begin adaptive project management plan and establish critical research question
week 3: reports
• discuss the function of reports and how to adapt the genres to your projects needs
• design a report that clearly articulates your research question
week 4: deliverables
• create the documents needed for the portfolio
week 5: revisions
• workshop revisions of the portfolio documents
week 6: dreamweaver and fireworks workshops
week 7: complete and present the portfolio
• presentations of your digital portfolio
Developing web content and marketing materials for bryght.com
Project 3 with bryght.com
In this project, class groups will be working with the people at bryght.com to develop sales, promotional, and website content. I'd like about six groups, and hopefully your interests will allow that number of groups. I hope this project allows you to employ and enhance skills you will need in the job market and in your future jobs. This project is 40% of the final grade, and will have many components.
Project Deliverables (with grade percentage and due dates):
Response and Brainstorming Memo: Ideas for bryght.com from your experience in classes or work, what you'd like to work on in a group, and question/comments about Project 3 -- Due October 28th, 2004 (1% of grade) -- Grade criteria:
Blog with Bryght: Create an issue under our class' Project to blog with the developers at bryght.com. Discuss your project plans with the guys at bryght.com (2%) -- Begin on Nov. 2
First post: Introduction of group members and skills with preliminary questions
Subsequent Posts: keep blogging until you have decided on a project
Grade is judged on participation and the instructor's observation of blog
Blog Summary Memo: A 1-page memo from your group to me summarizing the blog and what you decided to create Due Nov. 9 at beginning of class -- (2%) Grade criteria
Memo format
Quality of writing
Quality of information in summary
Draft Proposal: This will be a more formal memo of 1 to 2 pages on what your group will be developing for bryght.com, including an overview of and background on the project, analysis of the problem or need, a plan for project completion and group involvement. This proposal functions as a rought draft for the subsequent assignment listed next. Due. Nov. 11 -- (3%) Grade criteria:
Necessary Sections: overview and background; analysis of problem or need; plan for project completion and group involvement
Quality of writing
Memo format
Proposal and Project Management Report: This document will be 5-8 pages in length. This is more formal than a memo. As for formatting, the first page can be as simple as a title with names and dates and then the paper.You can use an executive summary if you like, or even a table of contents. This report will include further development of the proposal into a longer document. The plan for project completion and group involvement section of the proposal should be developed into the time management and team work structure sections. Additional sections include expected results and benefits, revision expectations, as well as an appendices with biographies of group members, a Gantt chart, and relevant resources on a works cited page. Due Nov. 16th -- (7%) Grade criteria
Necessary Sections: title with names and date (does not have to be on seperate page); overview and background; analysis of problem or need; time management; team work structure, expected results and benefits; revision expectations; appendices biographies; appendices Gannt chart; appendices works cited page
Quality of writing
Proper format (title and names; talking heads; necessary sections; no memo format) and length (5-8 pages single-spaced)
Link to possible format: http://www.isr.umd.edu/Labs/CACSE/chemsense/
Link to Proposal page: Content and Organization
Link to content example: Biomedical Engineering Design Project
bryght.com Deliverable with Revision: The class is producing content for bryght.com. Each specific group will develop content from interaction with and input from Boris and Roland and others at bryght.com. I'll be here to help, but the show is yours.
Initial Deliverable Ideas
Excerpt of email from Boris Mann at bryght.com in regards to what I think our class can produce: Desires for content: yes, the website is the likely primary target of the produced content. You mentioned:
-3 S.P.I.N. (Situation, Problem, Implication, Needs Payoff ) model (2x small business, 1 non-profit): Small Business: most SMBs want a web presence but they aren't sure where to get one or where to start or if they can afford it (this would focus on the self-updating, dynamic features of Drupal that result in high search engine rankings); Intranet / Competitive Intel: a team wants a secure online space to share information, gather information on the web about different topics; Online Community: an organization (e.g. SCUBA Enthusiasts, School Board, Non-profit) want an online place to organize events, provide a place for their members to communicate, and have a central place to put information LINK to article on S.P.I.N. models
- marketing: potentials here would be marketing to end users (which is
a bit like SPIN, but more broad-based) as well as marketing to
resellers (why become a Bryght reseller? as a designer? as a developer?
as a consultant?)
- sales: features, benefits, competitive overview (21publish, Square
Space)
- IT/aviation team: the intranet/competitive intel SPIN would work
here; I can't think of anything off-hand that would be more technical
Finalized Deliverables as of Nov. 18, 2004
Aviation Online Community: For this project, our group is going to produce an
online community for bryght.com dealing with aviation reporting and safety.
This online community will allow users to anonymously report any incidents
they observe or partake in, and search for others' reports as well. Users
will eventually be able to search for reports by location, date, severity, and
several other variables. We will divide the community up by the various
fields of aviation, such as maintenance personnel, pilot, and Air Traffic
Controllers. In order to create this site and the tools on it, we will work
with the bryght.com team, and using Drupal, post content on their site under a
sub domain of our choosing.
-Submitted by Scott Wasulko and Charles Terry
Computer Group: We are creating a survey that users can fill out so bryght.com
can get more information about what people think of the features of Drupal /
Bryght sites. The survey will contain a mixture of open-ended questions and
questions ýwith a set group of answers. Within this survey, we are making a
question where the customer can declare what kind of user they are (End users,
resellers, or mass deployment) so that bryght.com can see their customer base
and try to accommodate this base as much as possible. The survey will contain
approximately 15 to 20 questions.
-Submitted by Jason Fish and Rob McKee
Marketing Group: We are going to create a brochure and a T-shirt for Bryght. We think that these will be great tools for them to market with. The brochure will be targeted to Bryght's resellers and will contain information about Bryght, the benefits of Bryght's software, and why the reseller should purchase from Bryght. The T-shirt will be a promotional tool for Bryght employees to hand out to generate positive word of mouth. The T-shirt will consist of the website and a catchy slogan.
-Submitted by Matt Flittner, Nick Hamilton, Erica Miller, and Meredith Pieplow
Non-Profit Group: Our objective is to show cities and non-profit organizations what bryght.com can do for them. We will describe how they can apply our SPIN model by allowing bryght.com to build this project in their communities. The website will have two major benefits for these organizations. It will allow those interested in volunteering for or donating to their organization to contact them and allow for communication between similar organizations. Both of these benefits will lead to increased financial support for the organizations. This project will encourage teamwork between local organizations, which we believe will increase the ability of these organizations to serve their community.
- Submitted by Micere Oden and Andrea Thies
Small Business Group: Our deliverable will be a summary on what small businesses are looking for in a website service. We are going to distribute surveys to local small businesses and research additional information online. We will then compile the data into a summarized report including charts of relevant findings. After completing the project we will then post our deliverable on the OSDDP site.
-Submitted by Ashley Engstrom, Nick Cutler, and Josh Kast
Sports Online Community Group: Our group is producing an online community for bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts. Within this community we plan on providing necessary information on training, nutrition, and supplements. There will also be a section devoted to discussion forum where the users can communicate their own personal workout experiences and questions. In addition to beneficial information and an interaction forum, the users will also have access to an events calendar where we will cover all of the major bodybuilding news. We will need to research the latest in sports nutrition, training, and news around the bodybuilding world to produce our deliverable. We will also need to find pictures of these current events to post.
-Submitted by Wesley Mailloux, Daniel Kim, and Doug Kleis
Uniting Investors: S.P.I.N. Online Communities: The goal of this deliverable is to provide an online community for people who have interest in the investing their money. Our group will provide the information necessary in making investment decisions. This information is composed of service fees, commissions, customer service ratings, and what type of investments can be made. The production in our deliverable consists of gathering necessary information on investment firms and simplifying it for the common man. Any information that we find is pertinent to helping people invest will be added to the site.
-Submitted by Shannon Blankinship, Patrick Wargo and Matt Wirt
I expect 400 words per person as well as necessary visual elements. The 400 words is simply a rought guideline and includes drafts and OSDDP posts (15% of grade). -- Due Nov. 23
Grade Criteria:
a professional bryght.com deliverable:
fully achieves the communicative purpose of the assignment: to explore an issue for bryght.com and develop relevant web content
contains a detailed and thorough presentation of the issue/topic being discussed
provides a detailed explanation of possible solutions that relate to the issue/topic analysis
provides relevant visual elements that account for the needs of the audience
demonstrates a thorough understanding of the writing context
conforms to all conventions of formatting and presentation
is free of all typographical and grammatical errors
a competent deliverable:
generally achieves the communicative purpose of the assignment: to explore an issue for bryght.com and develop relevant web content
contains an adequate presentation of the issue/topic being discussed
provides an adequate explanation of possible solutions that relate to the issue/topic analysis
provides relevant visual elements that consider the needs of the audience
demonstrates a sound understanding of the writing context
conforms to most conventions of formatting and presentation
is mostly free of all typographical and grammatical errors
an inadequate deliverable:
fails to achieve one or more of the communicative purposes of the assignment: to explore an issue for bryght.com and develop relevant web content
contains an inadequate presentation of the issue/topic being discussed
proposes solutions that do not meet the needs of the issue/topic analysis
includes relevant visual elements that do not consider the needs of the audience
has two or more sections that are significantly underdeveloped
misunderstands or does not address the writing context
does not conform to conventions of formatting and presentation or contain unwarranted departures from those conventions
contains multiple typographical and grammatical errors
Presentation: This will be 5 to 10 minute presentation to talk about your bryght.com deliverable. Part of the presentation will include the content on bryght.com, as well as a PowerPoint presentation about the process of creating the deliverable for bryght.com. Due last week of class. The three 2-person groups will go on Tuesday, December 7th. The other four groups will go on Thursday, December 9th. (8%) Basic grade criteria:
3-4 slides per group member, and equal speaking time
be sure to include hyperlink to appropriate site or OSDDP page so class can look at it deliverable throughout the presentation
use at least 3 visuals to enhance the information being provided, and include a screen shot
consider the audience and presentation conditions when designing the background and/or color scheme
provide enough text to keep the audience focused on the information being presented
grade evaluation will be the same as Project 2 Presentation with the above revised or added
Group and Project Evaluation Memo: Evaluate your other group members and Project 3. Due Dec. 9 -- (2%) Grade criteria:
Memo format
Evaluation of Partners
Evaluation of Project
Giving a PowerPoint Presentation
Giving Power Point Presentations
Content for presentations
Whatever organizational pattern you use, your speech needs to be well-marked for the user and follow a general format:
Introduction forecast
Discuss the purpose / goal of talk
Provide an overview slide including all main points you plan to address
Use these points as main headings for slides during your presentation
Main points
Include within each main point:
Explicit statement of each point
Details about point
Summary of main point (if point requires more than one slide)
Make a transition to the next point
Wrap up
Summarize all main points
State what you have intended to accomplish with your talk
Indicate what action you want the audience to take
Ask for questions
Visuals for presentations
Font size
Use a much larger font size for headings to clearly differentiate the main point from the explanation (or use a different color for headings)
Use the largest font size that consistently allows you to include all the text you wish on each slide
Font type
Use a sans serif font such as Helvetica for headings and for sparse text
Use a serif font such as Times New Roman for the body of the slide if you have wordy slides
Avoid using all capital letters for headings in most cases
Color
Make a strong contrast between background and text
Use a dark text with a light background and a light text with a dark background
Make the background match the room color (light in a bright room, dark in a dark room so that the words stand out)
Visual sets
Visual sets are any repetitious aspect to your slides
Visual sets help orient your listeners to your talk so include as many as possible
Visual sets include:
using consistent placement of headings
using consistent color scheme and font
using the same PowerPoint template for entire presentation
using same effects for all slides (e.g.., fade to black for transition, points fly in from left, etc..)
Readability
Include one main point per slide
Limit six words per line
Limit six lines per slide
Use as little text as possible on each slide
Use a conservative template appropriate for your audience
PowerPoint Presentations: A Quick reference Guide
PowerPoint Presentations
A Quick Reference Guide
PowerPoint is a complete presentation graphics package that can help you to produce a professional-looking presentation. PowerPoint offers word processing, outlining, drawing, graphing, and presentation management tools. When you create a presentation using PowerPoint, the presentation is usually made up of a series of slides that appear on your computer screen. These slides can also be presented as overhead transparencies or 35mm slides. In addition to designing slides, you can also use PowerPoint to create audience handouts, outlines, and speaker’s notes.
PowerPoint’s Main Menu Bar
The main menu bar in PowerPoint is similar to other menus in Windows applications. The following description is not a comprehensive list; rather, it is intended to quickly help you locate features you are likely to use when constructing your own presentation.
File – for performing functions on the presentation as a whole (new, open, close, save, save as, print, exit)
Edit – for editing within a presentation or slide (cut, paste, copy, duplicate slide, delete slide, find, replace, search, object linking)
View – for selecting the view you need for the particular work you are doing at any point during the creation of your presentation (slide, outline, slide sorter, notes pages, slide show, master views, revealing toolbars/rulers/guides, zoom view)
Insert – for inserting special information (new slide, date, time, page number, other slides from other presentations, clip art, pictures, tables, charts, objects)
Format – for formatting text and/or slide features (background, color, design, template, colors, alignment, bullets)
Tools – for customizing your presentation (selecting transitions from slide to slide, building slides point by point, hiding certain slides for selected audiences, customizing the toolbar displays, spell checking)
Draw – for manipulating your drawings, clip art, and graphic (group and ungroup figures; flip, rotate and scale figures)
Window – for rearranging the working area of the application (split screen with another application/drawing/object)
Help – for accessing Help options
Starting a PowerPoint Presentation
Open Power Point on your computer. A window will appear.
Select the new presentation option that you wish to use: Auto Content Wizard, Template, or Blank Presentation, and then click OK.
The Auto Content Wizard suggests the content and outline of a presentation based on the type of presentation you are creating.
The Template option takes you directly to the template subdirectory of PowerPoint. From there you can select a pre-designed template.
The Blank Presentation option offers a blank slide template that has no style or design enhancements. This option gives you the maximum degree of flexibility.
Adding a New Slide
Click Insert and New Slide. A New Slide box will appear.
Choose an AutoLayout.
Click OK
Viewing Your Presentation
PowerPoint offers several ways to view your presentation. Buttons at the bottom left of the screen allow you to switch between the 4 editing views and the slide show view. As you create a presentation, you can switch among the four views to suit your needs.
Slide – displays individual slides in full slide view. This option enables you to see the slide in complete detail and is usually the best view for creating special effects and applying the editing tools.
Outline – displays all slides in the presentation in their basic text form. This option gives you an overview of the contents of the presentation and enables you to edit text and content easily.
Slide Sorter – displays a miniature version of every slide in the presentation in proper order. This option gives you an overview of the look and flow of the presentation and the option to rearrange the order of slides.
Notes Page – displays a miniature version of an individual slide at the top of the screen and speaker’s notes below the slide. This option enables you to review your notes while viewing the slide and may also be used as a handout option.
Slide Show – displays slides full screen. This option is used during an actual presentation.
To view a slide show:
Click the Slide Show menu and highlight View Show.
Click the left mouse button once to rotate the slides.
When the show is finished, you will automatically return to PowerPoint. You can hit the Esc key to end the show early.
White Paper PowerPoint Presentation Evaluation
To:
From:
Re: OSDDP White Paper PowerPoint Evaluation
Date:
Is there an organizational principle to the PowerPoint? State the main points.
Who is the audience? Are the presentationís background, color scheme, text, and overall design appropriate?
Were the visuals used to enhance the information being provided? If screen shots of Open Source or other software are used, are they referred to in the PowerPoint?
Were the visuals used to enhance the information being provided? If screen shots of Open Source or other software are used, are they referred to in the PowerPoint?
Does the PowerPoint inform the audience regarding the Open Source topic at hand?
Were the visuals used to enhance the information being provided? If screen shots of Open Source or other software are used, are they referred to in the PowerPoint?
Is the presentation consistent and conservative? Are there areas of the PowerPoint where the effects used are inconsistent or too extreme?
Are there any grammatical or mechanical errors?
What is the single item that needs the most work? What can be done to solve the problem?
Open Source and Creative Commons Course Readings
In this section, you will find readings used by instrustors to help their students understand the concepts of open source and Creative Commons licensing.
OSDDP Coursework Policies
In this section, you will find policies used by instructors to guide their students' coursework.
Overarching Course Policies and Coursework
In this section, you will find information on the courses that integrate OSDDP. The materials in this section are provided to help you understand where the OSDDP fits into overall course goals and timelines.
Suggestions for Teaching with OSDDP
Engaging Students in Open Source Documentation Projects
Most students have very limited knowledge of open source programs prior to taking the professional writing class at Purdue University. Therefore, the foremost challenge is to help the students understand the concept of open source programs and cultivate in them some enthusiasm towards open source programs. A suggested pedagogical move is to introduce some open source software programs to the students and assign them a few interesting readings (see the next two sections). The point is to allow the students to put their hands on some alternatives to proprietary software programs that they are already very familiar with. The next step in engaging the students is to direct the students' attention to some great benefits that open source programs will bring to the society and encourage the students to take concrete actions to promote open source programs. One of the actions is to work on various documents on open source programs.
Readings on Open Source and Creative Commons
In addition to texts provided by OSDDP, teachers may want to introduce students to some outside readings on open source and Creative Commons during the first week of working with OSDDP. For example,
The Open Source Initiative -- Founded by members of the open source community intent on promoting the use of open source within the commercial world, the Open Source Initiative holds the trademark on Open Source. They provide an introduction on the home page, the official definition of Open Source, and a FAQ answering many common questions.
The Cathedral and the Bazaar -- Eric Raymond's seminal text exploring the open source development model may be a technical read at times, but it is the defining piece exploring the benefits of community development through open source licensing. This reading is especially useful to ENGL 421 classes that plan to do documentation development for open source software communities.
Examples of Open Source Software
In order to get more familiar with the concept of open source, encourage students to download and try one of the following applications. Each is easy to install and similar to comparable applications that they already use:
Mozilla Firefox -- Mozilla's stand alone browser. Its tabbed browsing and other features make it a viable, and arguably, better alternative to IE. Students trying out Firefox may also want to try some of the Mozilla Extensions.
Mozilla Thunderbird -- Mozilla's stand alone mail client, an alternative to Outlook Express.
OpenOffice -- This full office suite is the open source version of Sun Microsystems's Star Office and includes word processor, presentation, spreadsheet, database, and HTML WYSIWYG applications comparable to Microsoft Office.
More adventurous students interested in experiencing the Linux Desktop should download Knoppix, a Linux distribution which runs off of cd rom; no installation required. Students will need to obtain the latest ISO tagged EN.iso from one of the Knoppix download mirrors. Once the file has completed downloading, the ISO must be burned to the cd as an image (see the cd burner documentation for more specifics). Then, just restart their computer booting from cd. Since Knoppix does not store anything on the user's computer, students can feel free to try out applications without fear of causing problems with their machine.
Encouraging Research on Open Source Documentation
When technical writing students are involved in open source documentation projects such as reference manuals or how to guides, consider allocating a couple of weeks for outside research. You may need to take a few minutes early on to clarify the difference between "documents" and "documentation" and to describe some common forms of documentation. Use this time to better prepare them to create their first documentation drafts. Assign readings in their text concerning documentation construction, usability, argument, citation styles, working in project groups, etc. Have them draw up documentation plans and create tasks lists. Outside of class, have each group conduct research by
Reviewing any existing documentation for the open source application they are working with.
Looking at discussions about the application. Open source communities typically have public mailing lists and forums. Their discussions will contain support requests which may indicate documentation needs, comments about the applications' usability, and specific requests for documentation.
Finding outside reviews or application community sites. For example, students working with developing Drupal end user documentation should explore opensourcecms. This site not only provides the names of applications similar to Drupal, but it is also has live demos of the applications where they may discover documentation of similar features.
Reviewing sample documenation guides such as those provided by Red Hat (i.e Red Hat's Getting Started Guide) and other commercially sponsored projects which have polished, professional quality manuals and reference guides.
As they research, have them discuss what they found effective and ineffective in the other documenation they have explored. Suggest that they analyze the different styles of documentation writing they see, the ways in which some make use of graphics, etc. In other words, use this time to make students more effective at rhetorical analysis of documentation.
Small Writing Assignments
As they research open source documentation, students in both 420 and 421 might benefit from small (homework type) assignments in which they summarize their research, evaluate existing documentation, interview a user of open source software and so on.
Using the OSDDP site
Getting Started
When introducing students to the OSDDP site, have them read the project description and FAQs first. After they have a little time to explore surface levels of the site, ask them to create a user account.
Student Privacy/ Confidentiality Concerns
In order to give students some degree of anonymity when publishing online, teachers should recommend that students not use their full name in creating usernames on OSDDP and avoid using their full names in postings on the site. You may also wish to suggest that students not use the ID associated with their Purdue Career Account. Finally, when publishing final versions of documents to the OSDDP Guide, students should always be given the choice of deciding whether to include their name as an author of a text.
Assigning Class Projects to Students
Business Writing vs. Technical Writing Projects
There are currently two OSDDP projects associated with Business Writing (ENGL 420). In the first, students are asked to write a white paper on some aspect of the open source movement. In the second, students perform a feasibility study of open source software for a given client.
Students in Technical Writing (ENGL 421) are asked to create documentation. This goal can also be accomplished in two projects; in the first, students (working in small groups) create a documentation plan, task list, and storyboard. In the second project, students write the actual documentation. You may want to consider asking your students to switch groups at the end of the first project and to write documentation planned by another group.
Claiming Issues within in the OSDDP
Students can assign an available issue to themselves by
clicking on the issue that interests them
clicking "update issue"
using the drop-down menu underneath the "assigned" field. Note that issues can only be assigned to one user.
clicking the "Submit" button.
If students have ideas for a project not posted on the site, they can also create a new issue and then assign it to themselves. Students should, however, be encouraged to read through the currrent issues before creating a new one.
Once students have settled on a project, encourage them to:
Post the names of all students working on an issue (in the case of group projects).
Add occasional status reports and followups
Making Use of the Threaded Commenting Feature Attached to Each Issue
The threaded comment board attached to each issue can be used a central location for all discourse about an student group project:
Group members can use it as a central point of communication, discussing their work with each other on the project.
Teachers and fellow students can provide their feedback there, rather than through email or another other medium.
Encourage the group responsible for the project to respond to all feedback in order to stimulate dialogue, rather than merely using the comment board as a place for others to merely post feedback.
The project module is designed for tracking project development. Using the comments provids the means for reviewing individual participation in determining a final grade.
Opportunities for Additional Feedback
Because OSDDP is an open community where members post drafts in progress, feedback on projects no longer need be restricted to the walls of the classroom. Students and teachers as well can provide feedback on projects outside of their class. Instructors might want to make arrangements with other sections to give response as in or out of class assignments or offer to trade response themselves. Regardless, students, teachers, and any member of the OSDDP community is always welcome to provide feedback on any project.
Building the Selection of Available Issues
For additional issues to be available for future classes, teachers are encouraged to post ideas for new topics and projects to OSDDP as they think of them. As students complete projects, teachers should also allow some time for discussion of new topics among their students and have students themselves contribute to the list of available projects. This could be a good thing to schedule on the day that final OSDDP projects are due.
Projects Based on Revising Existing Texts
Since all content in the OSDDP Guide is available under a Creative Commons license, students could evaluate and revise any existing text in the OSDDP Guide. Technical writers could review and conduct usability studies of existing documentation, then create a documentation plan based on their research and analysis. Business writers could research issues covered by posted white papers, reviews, and feasibility reports, and provide updated versions which reflect the changing field of open source and open content.
Evaluating Open Source Documentation Projects
At the end of an open source documentation project, students are encouraged to evaluate the project through a retrospect upon the different steps that they have taken, such as identifying the needs for an open source document, field research on the clients, studying sample documents, drafting and revising the document, and peer reviews. The point is to help the students identify some important steps that are crucial for producing an effective professional document. They are also encouraged to invite potential clients to evaluate the usability of the document that they have produced.
Sample Documentation
ENGL 421 Students may want to look at some examples of good (and bad) documentation to help them create their own.
Note: This outline originated as a lesson plan for my 420 class in Spring 2005 and was used as notes for a discussion with Michael Salvo's 505 class in September 2005. The page "Suggestions for Teaching with OSDDP" lists additional resources.
Step 1: Introduce the Concept of Open Source (OS)
Distinguish OS from freeware/ shareware:
open source products may be modified and redistributed; the source code is available to all
some products that include open source material may have a cost (for ex. the new Mac operating systems)
open source is a philosophy as well as a product
Step 2: Some Examples (esp. for non-technical people)
Firefox web browser (I had students download and experiment with the browser)
in molecular biology, organisms and bioinformatics software (see Cambia's BiOS initiative)
Step 3: For discussion with students
Think of two concepts that you know well (for example, important people, events, or ideas in your major) and read the Wikipedia entries about them. How credible do you find the encyclopedia?
How does our class Drupal site compare to WebCT?
Do any of you use UNIX or LINUX? If so, why? (you're more likely to get a yes in 421, but I had a BCM student in 420 with an interest in Linux)
Step 4: So What-- Why Open Source?
Advantages of open source
for developing countries
for students
Reasons for the PW program's interest
critical interrogation of technology
affinities between OS commnuity and in-class workshopping
Step 5: Introduce the OSDDP
Readings within the OSDDDP (white papers, webliography)
Possible projects
Open Source White Papers
Government initiatives regarding open source and their successes and failures
Prepared for: Open Source Development and Documentation Project (OSDDP)
By: Lindsay Bentz, Melissa Boeckman, and An-An Ku
October 18, 2004
Executive Summary
This paper provides information regarding various government open
source initiatives, such as in Munich, India, Japan, South Korea,
China, and Brazil .
Munich, the first government to make a large switch to open source,
experienced major benefits such as improved security and forced
competition in the software market. India currently works on
implementing open source in schools, banks, and the military. India
believes the benefits of open source will include tighter military
security and modernization of the country technologically.
Japan proposed an Asian open source system mainly to compete with
Microsoft's and the United States' dominance of the software market. To
achieve success, Japan will need cooperation from China and Korea.
China's government has shown support for open source so far by not
responding to Microsoft's demand that it crack down on piracy. Korea's
government also supports open source, but it could be hard to get
Japan, China, and Korea to work together and make the open source
industry a successful rival of Microsoft.
Brazil currently has two government agencies that have started using
open source. Brazilian businesses such as food chains and public
computer centers also use open source. Brazil's president wants all
government agencies to use open source to help bridge the technological
gap between Brazil and countries like the United States. The major
benefit of open source for Brazil is the cheap cost, since Brazil
cannot afford Microsoft software.
Challenges include strong opposition from Microsoft and fear that open source will give governments excessive power.
Introduction
In the last few years, open source software has burst upon the
computer industry as a new and innovative alternative to traditional
software programs and companies. Open source allows users to see and
modify its code, enabling them to improve the software and then
redistribute it (Open Source Initiative). Traditional software
companies such as Microsoft use closed source software, meaning no one
outside of the company can alter or even view the code (Stanco).
Open source provides a cheaper alternative than Microsoft. Due to
these factors, governments around the world are considering switching from
Microsoft to open source. A more secure system results from the ability
to see and change software codes . Many governments do not like using
closed source software because of hackers, and the governments have to
depend on programmers of the commercial vendor to fix the problem
(Stanco). Another reason governments do not like closed source software
stems from the fear that Microsoft, a U.S. company, might purposely put
backdoors into other countries' software. Open source, on the other
hand, allows all users to find and get rid of bugs, therefore causing
greater security. “Users are wonderful things to have….Because source
code is available, they can be effective hackers. This can be
tremendously useful for shortening debugging time. Given a bit of
encouragement, your users will diagnose problems, suggest fixes, and
help improve the code far more quickly than you could unaided.”
(Raymond).
Governments also like open source because by using it, they do not
get locked into a contract as they would with a company like Microsoft,
and they will not depend on a large commercial vendor to keep their
programs up-to-date and secure (Stanco).
While Microsoft still controls most of the software and operating
system industries, open source and Linux continue to increase in
popularity, and some governments have already passed policies regarding
the use of open source (Stanco). Below are some of the initiatives
various governments have taken with open source, and their successes
and failures.
Munich
Implementation
The city of Munich proposed and voted to migrate 14,000 Microsoft
computers to Linux, making it the biggest Microsoft customer to make
this size of a migration. Although Microsoft remains one of the most
successful computer software corporations, open source has begun to
slowly gain popularity (Microsoft at; Bass). In fact, according to
Chris Stone, vice chairman of network-software maker Novell, Munich has
become “the poster child for the desktop Linux movement” (Bass).
Successfully accomplishing a migration from Microsoft to Linux
proves a difficult task. Because types of software differ from company
to company, the switch will require intricate strategic planning and
long hours. Munich formed project groups to determine types of clients
involved, testing procedures, training programs, formats needed, costs
of implementation, and methods of spreading information. These plans
for migration will only succeed if every software manager in the city
agrees to use them (Linux-the).
Munich has decided to use a “soft” migration, which involves
creating an intermediate system to gradually switch applications to
open source. Migration teams inform business employees of the new open
source system through the use of seminars, flyers, demonstration
systems, and personal discussions in order to “decrease employee fears
and reservations about the use of open source software” (Linux-the).
Benefits
Part of Munich's main motivation for this large migration stems from
the lack of security proprietary software such as Microsoft gives. The
computer systems hold important files such as birth certificates and
criminal DNA records. In addition, increasing technology allows for
filing of information and records online. Governments have doubts about
the amount of security commercial vendors can provide. In order to
compete with some of these security issues, Microsoft has begun to open
more of its software to individuals and has made some portions of code
available to users (Microsoft at).
In response to the security issue, open source provides transparency
on its software, easily exposing bugs and “backdoors” (Microsoft at;
Raymond). Open source software producers such as Linux offer their
product for free to their customers; however, some of the specific
licenses entail a small fee. Not only does Linux cost less, but open
source also has the advantage of allowing users to modify it to “suit
clients' needs” and to upgrade it as desired (Bass).
Munich's government officials support open source software because
it encourages competition in the software market and ensures them that
they do not have to rely on a single vendor (Microsoft at; Linux-the).
Challenges
Although open source software continues to spread rapidly, it does
not currently work with all applications. In Munich, over 28,000
educational licenses remain in use because Linux offers no alternative
at the moment. Some sources say other Microsoft applications such as
spreadsheets allow for easier use than open source software (Bass).
However, Open Office compares closely to Microsoft Office and not only
includes all the same applications, but is compatible with Microsoft
Office as well. “It includes the key desktop applications, such as a
word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, and drawing program,
with a user interface and feature set similar to other office suites.
Sophisticated and flexible, OpenOffice.org also works transparently
with a variety of file formats, including those of Microsoft Office”
(About us).
Microsoft officials have tried to discourage the use of Linux,
saying that “its openness makes it insecure and therefore vulnerable to
terrorism” (Microsoft at). The power given to the government through a
migration concerns citizens. Once a government decides to implement the
software, all citizens and businesses must adopt and use it as well
(Microsoft at).
Far East Asia
Implementation
Open Source has rapidly built momentum in Far East Asia. Japan led
the way in adopting this policy and many other countries in Asia
followed suit once they saw the benefits of open source. Currently,
Japan has an open source system based on Linux and has recently
proposed an Asian open source operating system platform as an effort to
rival North America . This new system especially targets the Microsoft
monopoly and the operating system industry. Hitachi and Fujitsu have
attempted to shift the overall computing business to Japan and
experience the same success that they have achieved in the consumer
electronics market (Enderle).
Benefits
The Japanese believe their endeavors in open source will ultimately
lead to a power shift in the software industry. According to Reuters
news agency, other Asian countries such as China and South Korea
verbally support Japan's efforts and have followed suit in adopting an
open source operating system based off of Linux (Enderle). The Mozilla Foundation and
Mozilla Japan Today recently launched a Mozilla-Japan.org website, a
non-profit organization that promotes, develops and deploys Mozilla
products throughout Japan. Services include migration support and
product deployment and technical assistance. According to Mitchell
Baker, Japan has a large concentration of Mozilla users. “We are
delighted to support the creation of Mozilla Japan . Mozilla Japan will
play a vital role in ensuring that Japanese users have access to the
highest quality products and to the full range of services needed for
broad end-user and enterprise adoption” (Mozilla Affiliate).
Following the example of Japan, China has also adopted an open
source policy. Compared to Microsoft's Windows and Unix operating
systems, which are based on proprietary programming, Linux appears
widely safer and cheaper. People's Daily Online reports that China has
already prepared a 200 page scheme for the Linux standard, through
which Japan, China and South Korea will presumably offer “the Asian
version of desktop Linux (China Denies). In Asia, Microsoft's success
diminishes due to the amount of illegally copied software. In China,
approximately 97% of their software gets copied. Microsoft officials
attempt to crack down on these piracy issues; however, without the
cooperation of the Chinese government, very little can be done. If
Linux flourishes in China, it could pose many dangers for Microsoft.
“The real value of open source to a country like China is developing a
public infrastructure for a software industry. It's a reasonable and
cost-efficient way for China to compete globally,” says Kevin MacIsaac,
an analyst with the Metagroup in Sydney (Leander).
Challenges
In order to expand success, Asia must overcome many obstacles. In
Japan, Hitachi and Fujitsu failed in their endeavor to acquire IBM's
intellectual property because of the technology and channel gap. Their
efforts only gained partial success due to IBM's virtually vulnerable
direct sales channel (Enderle). Initially, Japan had a large hand in
the PC industry. Unfortunately, once the Japanese company NEC crumbled
under its attempt to take on Packard Bell, a US company, Japan lost all
chances of gaining a significant market outside Asia. Japanese
companies Sony, Fujitsu, Hitachi and Matsushita Electric have all made
runs in the software market, but have had little success.
Microsoft does not worry about the triple Asian threat. They believe
their pricing policies which adapt to regional and political changes
will hold more effective in the long run. While initial efforts have
failed primarily due to complexity, analysts believe that Japan, China
and South Korea working together will ultimately cause disaster
(Enderle). Historically, these three countries have shown significant
problems collaborating and sharing power.
India
Implementation
India's first implementation of open source occurred with the
signing of two Memorandas of Understanding with IBM by the government
of Uttaranchal (Indian state). Soon after, India's president and
supreme commander of the armed forces, Abdul Kalam, revealed open
source as a defense mechanism against cybersecurity threats in the
military. In talks with the Indian Navy's Weapons and Electronic System
Engineering Establishment, Kalam expressed his impression with the
usefulness of the new technology in defense training. Open source gave
him the ability to talk to people in North America using voice
internet, which he found remarkable. Kalam wants open source to help
India “achieve self-reliance in software needed for critical weapon
system development” (Sharma). Also, due to its cost effectiveness,
India has started to implement open source in various state and private
banks such as the Central Bank of India and the treasury department in
West Bengal state (Sharma).
Benefits
Open source will bring India into the heart of the IT revolution by
forcing the country into the market. President Kalam states that open
source “offers developing nations the best opportunity to modernize”
(Becker). The use of this technology will improve interaction with
citizens who no one can contact due to India's rough terrain. In
addition, open source avoids “duplication of effort across government
departments” (Indian state).
While citizens see the software as a tool for Indian language
computing needs, governments see it as “a way to cut back on
non-productive expenditures so that they can focus on more critical
issues such as health, employment, and education” (Indic-Computing,
Indian state). Joseph Koshy states in his paper, “Design Axes for the
Indian Language Computing Market,” that “computing in local languages
remains unavailable to the common man in the Indian subcontinent”
(Koshy). “We shall bring the government to the door of the citizen. We
believe that this will help drive greater transparency, agility, better
citizen service and quality education" (Indian state).
Open source allows operation between new and old software and
provides easy to use instruction for all non-skilled officials. Several
colleges even provide training programs to encourage the growth of open
source. IBM, the company selling open source software, will work
closely with India to build the newest technologically sound
applications which relate to India's most important issues such as
taxes, social security, and healthcare (Indian state).
Challenges
In trying to defer customers from buying Linux, Microsoft describes
the software as one that “is risky and undermines innovation” (Becker).
Microsoft has also offered government users access to some of its
source code for Windows in order to further adapt to new technology
(Sharma). President Kalam worries that the “further spread of IT, which
is influencing the daily life of individuals, would have a devastating
effect on the lives of society due to any small shift in the business
practice involving these proprietary solutions.” He argues, “It is
precisely for these reasons open-source software needs to be
built….open-source code software will have to come and stay in a big
way for the benefit of our billion people” (Becker).
Brazil
Implementation
Similar to Munich and Japan, Brazil stands as a role model for other
governments in its region who are looking to migrate towards open
source. Currently, two small government agencies in Brazil have shifted
from Microsoft to Linux. In addition, Brazil signed a letter of intent
with IBM Corporation to encourage other government agencies to switch
to Linux as well (Brazil Gives; Clendenning). President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva enthusiastically advocates open source (Clendenning).
Amadeu, former economics professor and the head of Brazil's National
Information Technology Institute, says, “We have some islands in the
federal government using open-source, but we want to create a
continent” (Brazil Gives; Clendenning). Amadeu pushes to implement open
source in the country's electronic election process.
The Brazilian government has set up 86 open source software
computer centers in Sao Paulo, which provide low income citizens with a
place to work. Brazil businesses such as the fast food chain Habib's
also use open source to allow customers to order their food through
Linux and have it delivered to their homes (Brazil Gives; Clendenning).
Benefits
Linux offers an effective substitute for costly Microsoft products
that the Brazilian government and the general population cannot afford.
Open source software allows for free computer centers, which benefits
the average Brazilian citizen who cannot afford a home computer. One
citizen who utilizes the computer centers said, “If this was a rich
country, it wouldn't matter and we could buy Microsoft products, but
we're a developing country and Linux is just a lot more accessible, so
we're heading toward a Linux generation” (Brazil Gives; Clendenning).
Supporters of open source claim that government efforts to increase
the use of Linux will create a larger job market. Similar to Munich,
India, and Far East Asian countries, Brazil's government feels that the
added benefits will include high security and the low cost of Linux
(Clendenning).
Challenges
Microsoft plays a dominant role in deterring more Brazilian
government agencies from switching to open source. Microsoft officials
claim that by switching to open source, Brazil will actually spend more
money because of added service costs the migration will require.
Microsoft officials worry that Brazil's government will require a
switch to open source, thus diminishing citizen's right to choose. Luiz
Moncau, Microsoft's marketing director in Brazil, states, “We still
think free choice is best for companies, the individuals and the
government” (Brazil Gives).
Conclusion
Increasingly, governments around the world look to open source as a
cost-effective, high-security solution to their problems with
Microsoft. Many countries also see open source as an opportunity to
catch up in the technological revolution, especially countries that
cannot afford Microsoft's pricy software and operating systems.
Many governments have already initiated switches to open source and
have benefited from doing so. They use open source on government
computers and in schools, the military, public workstations, and
businesses. However, many governments hesitate to take the leap and
would prefer to wait until they observe more successes from other
governments.
IBM and Novell: Investing in an Open Source Future
Prepared for English 420
By: Christina Jennings, Abrahm Persohn, and Lacey Uhlemeyer
November 16, 2004
Executive Summary
This report explains how Novell and IBM are investing in open source
technology. These companies have chosen to invest in open source
because
Linux has the quality and potential to be equal to commercial
alternatives.
Open source adds competition between other vendors since
it can be customized to fit specific needs, security features, and cut
costs.
The two companies are showing their dedication by donating funds and
focusing on improving open source technology. IBM invested in open
source by making Linux the primary operating system on their servers
and donating software code to Apache Software. Novell invested by
purchasing XIMIAN and SUSE. They also plan to provide customer support
to help familiarize customers with open source technology.
Introduction
This report addresses the benefits of using open source technology
as it pertains to the focus companies, IBM and Novell. This report
will
Familiarize the readers with open source, IBM, and Novell.
Help
the readers understand why these two companies are indeed investing in
open source and the methods they are taking to invest in the future of
open source.
Inform those interested as to how these changes affect the computing industry and every day computing.
Open source can be defined as a method for software licensing and
distribution that allows users to copy the source code and modify it
freely.
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). is an information
technology (IT). company. They provide numerous services that include
business transformation consulting and software/hardware research.
These services are "combined to provide business insight and solutions
in the enterprise computing space. IBM's clients include many different
kinds of enterprises, from sole proprietorships to large organizations,
governments and companies, representing every major industry and
endeavor" (GuruNet)
Novell's software applications provide business solutions that work
across multiple platforms. Important functions include securing and
empowering the networked world, helping organizations solve complex
business challenges, simplifying systems and processes, and capturing
new opportunities. Novell supports highly distributed network solutions
and capitalizes on the growth of the Internet.
The paper will discuss more details about open source and the two companies.
What is open source
Open source is software created through community cooperation. Open
source's source code, made available to the public for free, can be
copied, modified, and redistributed. Individual developers, large
companies, and anyone with interest in open source compose the open
source community.
Why move to open source
IBM and Novell are making this change to open source because they
believe there is a need for it in the market. Businesses realize the
benefits of investing in this new technology and the opportunities that
will arise.
“The remarkable potential of Linux has become obvious to
anyone who is paying attention. Industry experts and analysts agree
that Linux represents the next major disruptive technology in our
industry, and many businesses are looking to expand their use of Linux
and open source technology in mission-critical environments” (Novell).
Investing in open source will keep Novell and IBM ahead of the
competition as the world of technology enters a new era. “Sam
Palmisano, Chairman and CEO of IBM Corporation has declared that we
have entered an 'On Demand' era, where companies the employ open IT
tools to stay flexible and adaptive will have an edge over those that
are rigid and inflexible” (IBM). Taking a chance on this new software
may seem like a big risk, but, “many companies find the quality of
mainstream open source products like Linux to be equal to that of
commercial alternatives” (Fortune Magazine).
When analyzing open source, many aspects can be potentially
beneficial, such as its building of choice in the market, lower cost, and
tough security. It is important in any economy to avoid monopolistic
situations where one vendor has control of the market. Open source adds
competition to the market, reducing vendor dependency. Lower costs is
another attractive incentive for businesses, “Open source cuts costs by
lowering licensing and maintenance fees and by enabling deployment on
less expensive hardware platforms. As a result, open source
alternatives—and Linux in particular—are becoming more attractive to IT
professionals” (Novell).
Open source operates around the concept of peer review. “Open
source permits and encourages collaborative development by tens of
thousands of developers around the world, resulting in fast resolution
of problems” (Novell). This vast community helps keep open source
secure; with the source code available to the public, anyone who
catches vulnerabilities has the access to fix them quickly. This access
also allows for customized changes that can fit a businesses' specific
need. This is what helps Novell and IBM stay more flexible then those
companies that rely on a closed system, which can be less secure and
less adaptable to fast changes.
IBM’s commitment to open source
While open source technology has only recently
gained significant attention in the news and among the general public,
IBM's involvement with open source technology began more than five
years ago.
In mid June 1998, IBM needed a web server to support its WebSphere
Suite, a software platform that runs and manages Java applications,
providing a "centralized infrastructure for application integration and
business process automation within companies" (IBM). “IBM chose the
Apache Webserver to support and bundle with the software” (Open Source
Initiative).
In late 2000, IBM chief executive Louis Gerstner announced that his
company would spend $1 billion on Linux during 2001. This would include
"bringing the Unix clone to its full line of servers, bringing its
broad software portfolio to Linux, training its services and consulting
personnel, and placing advertisements such as full-page ads in major
daily newspapers" (Shankland).
"IBM is making the commitment, Gerstner said, because it 'is
convinced that Linux can do for business applications what the Internet
did for networking and communications'--make computing easier and free
from proprietary operating systems" (Wilcox). .
Promoting an open source environment
In 1996, IBM launched “alphaWorks", a web site where developers can
access, share, and modify different code the company releases. It is
designed to “spread cutting edge open source technology” (Open Source
Initiative). .
Open source software and applications
Since choosing the Apache Webserver to support WebSphere, IBM has
shifted some resources toward creating open source software. They released a
program called Secure Mailer, an open source program that runs on IBM’s
AIX Unix platform, which sends and stores e-mail messages with a high
level of security.
Following through with one of its initial goals, IBM made “Linux
the primary operating system on all of their high-end mainframe
servers” (Open Source Initiative).
In September 2004, IBM released the latest version of DB2, database
software that can run in Linux and Unix. The functions of the DB2
software include “automatically managing databases, allowing companies
to better manage, process, and retrieve data, such as product pricing”
(Weir). The company hopes to steal some market share away from Oracle, a
corporation focused on business-to-business software and services.
Sharing with the open source community
Hoping to speed up the development of open source programs, IBM
recently contributed to the open source community. These contributions
include “releasing the code of various runtime and tool components to
the open source community, and giving speech mark-up editors to the Eclipse Foundation, an open source software development platform” (Marson). The code will help web developers
“Add speech- recognition capability to Web applications.
Write standards-based speech applications.
Make it easier for people with disabilities to use a computer” (Marson). .
In another recent announcement, IBM “contributed more than half a
million lines of its software code, valued at $85 million, to an open
source software group, the Apache Software Foundation,
who will hold the licensing and intellectual property rights” (Lohr).
IBM hopes releasing the code will increase the number of Java
applications written, which are managed by IBM’s WebSphere, rival to
Microsoft's software platform, .Net. With WebSphere managing more
applications on the market, IBM can compete more with Microsoft.
Spreading open source technologies abroad
IBM has taken major steps to spread open source technologies around
the world. The company announced that “it is working with India’s
National Informatics Center (NIC), their government’s premiere
consulting organization in the field of Informatics Services and
Information Technology applications, to deliver open solutions to
India” (IBM Press Release). .
The company also reported that the County of Essex, Canada’s
southernmost county, “moved its financial applications to a Linux
system running DB2 and Red Hat” (IBM Press Release). .
IBM also wants to implement Linux and open source technologies in Brazil. In September 2004, IBM announced it will "spend
more than $1 million to help fund a Linux technology center in Brazil.
The center, created in conjunction with the Brazilian government, aims
to train 700 public service professionals on the use of Linux by year's
end" (McMillan).
The United States has already and will continue to utilize open
source technologies, too. IBM will be deploying a massive Linux-based
supercomputer for the U.S. Army at the Army research Laboratory Major
Shared Resource Center in Aberdeen, Maryland. The computer "is slated
to be among the top ten fastest Linux-based supercomputers in the
world. It will be the largest Linux supercomputer in use by the
military to date" (IBM). The purpose of the computer will be "to speed
the research and development of advanced military systems" (IBM).
Novell’s commitment to open source
Novell is also showing strong support for open source technology.
In early 2003, Novell acquired Ximian, a developer of applications that
run on Linux. Later that year, Novell purchased SUSE, a prominent
supplier of Linux operating systems to large corporations. Their
investment of the two Linux vendors totaled more than $250 million.
Through the acquisition of SUSE, Novell formed a partnership with IBM,
who, according to the Linux Beacon website, “has invested $50 million
with Novell for SUSE and open source development” (Woodie).
Providing an open source environment
Novell offers the DevelperNet Program, a team of Novell support
professionals who solve problems encountered by Novell developers; and
the “Novell Forge” website, where developers can access, share, and
modify code released by the company.
According to the Linux Beacon website, “the company announced that
more than 10,000 developers have signed on with its DeveloperNet
program in the last year” (Woodie). The website also said that
“registration on its open source development Web site, 'Novell Forge',
has increased by 60 percent since the SUSE acquisition officially
closed in January” (Woodie).
Open source software and applications
Part of Novell’s new strategy is realizing the profit potential in
the software and services that are used by operating systems, instead
of concentrating on the operating systems themselves. According to the
Information Week website, “Novell introduced several open source
initiatives Monday, March 22, 2004 , at its annual BrainShare
conference in a move to regain market relevance while demonstrating it
has learned from past mistakes” (Greenemeier). One such initiative is
the OES, or the “Open Enterprise Server”, which is a combination of
"NetWare 7 and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, as well as networking
services designed to interoperate between the systems" (Greenemeier).
With the Open Enterprise Server, Novell hopes to give its customers
a versatile working environment. According to the Server Pipeline
website, with the Open Enterprise Server, “Novell is supporting a mixed
environment where its customers can simultaneously run NetWare, Linux,
and Windows” (Greenemeier).
With the speedy acquisition of Ximian and SUSE last year, the
company will be getting the product into the hands of the consumer more
quicker and more efficiently. According to The Register website, the
networking firm announced that “Novell Enterprise Server (OES). will be
available from early November” (Leyden). The company “signed up Bull to
sell SUSE Enterprise 9 across its server product line” (Leyden).
Although Novell’s focus has shifted more towards the potential of
software and services, the company announced that it has no intentions
to cut out its operating system development. According to the
InternetWeek.com website, Chris Stone, Novell Vice Chairman, said that
the move to buy Ximian and SUSE Linux “was not intended to replace
Novell’s longstanding investment in the NetWare operating system, but
rather complement it” (Montalbano).
Sharing with the open source community
Novell also hopes to give their customers a larger role in
development in the new technology. According to the Server Pipeline
website, Novell said it will “contribute both SUSE’s ‘YAST’(Yet another
Setup Tool). Linux systems-management tool and Novell’s iFolder personal
storage and filing application to the open source community”
(Greenemeier). These tools make it easier for developers to use Linux
and help them to develop new innovations for existing open source
applications, as well as new applications altogether.
Novell plans on concentrating on providing support to customers in
order to help them make the transition to open source technology.
According to The Register website, Novell has “set up a unit—in
partnership with top-tier software and hardware vendors including HP,
IBM, Intel, and Oracle—to help customers to move their applications to
Linux” (Leyden ).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can
be seen how and why IBM and Novell are investing in open source
technology. These two companies are investing in an open source future
because it appears to be the right choice for business, particularly because it is cost effective and efficient. Only time can
answer the question of whether or not open source is truly the future
of business.
Kirkpatrick, David. “How the Open- Source World Plans to Smack Down Microsoft, and Oracle, and…” Fortune Magazine. 23 February 2004: Volume 149 Issue 4.
