Comparing open source vs. proprietary software is like comparing apples and oranges. It’s a comparison that just doesn’t make sense for anything other than the basic comparison of licensing rights.
There are great variations among open source options, and among proprietary options. Yet many conversations about open source software tend to use very broad generalizations and treat each of these (open or proprietary) as a distinct thing. I’m involved in a lot of conversations about adopting open source software and I’m always struck by the black & white view of proprietary vs. open.

There’s a conversation going on today on the EDUCAUSE CIO List about criteria for evaluating learning management systems (LMS). Patrick Masson, CIO at SUNY Delhi, suggested in that conversation, that a feature comparison might no longer provide the right assessment criteria. Brad Wheeler, CIO at Indiana University and uber-leader of Community Source in education, responded in agreement. Brad and Patrick each suggest that features among the various LMS options are roughly on par and don’t offer much in terms of differentiation. Brad goes on to suggest that:

I read the recent news about Rimini Street’s battle with Oracle with great interest this past week.
The Chronicle headline last Sunday was “A Small Company, Promising Major Savings on Vital Software, Lures Colleges.” The issue highlighted in the story:
Cost-conscious colleges are caught in the cross-fire of a legal battle between Rimini Street, the low-cost maintenance provider, and Oracle, a software powerhouse that serves hundreds of higher-education customers. In January, Oracle sued Rimini Street for running what Oracle calls an “illegal” and “corrupt” business model.

The great myth about open source is that in order to adopt an open source application like Sakai, Kuali, or Moodle is that you have to hire developers to support it. It baffles me that this is still how most CIOs seem to understand the option: They can either purchase proprietary software, or they can adopt open source and replace the license fees with development staff.

The great myth about open source is that in order to adopt an open source application like Sakai, Kuali, or Moodle is that you have to hire developers to support it. It baffles me that this is still how most CIOs seem to understand the option: They can either purchase proprietary software, or they can adopt open source and replace the license fees with development staff.

TBD

Speaker(s): Steve Lonn, University of Michigan; Nate Angell, rSmart; Mara Hancock, University of California - Berkeley; Stephanie Teasley, University of Michigan - Moderatorread more

TBD

The Sakai Foundation is pleased to announce that the December 2007 Sakai Community Conference will be held in Newport Beach, California, USA, Tuesday-Thursday, December 4-7, with pre- and post-conference sessions and activities on Monday the 3rd, and Friday, the 7th. The site will be the Newport Beach Marriott.
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Michael Feldstein picked up on some good news on Desire2Learn’s blog. The US Patent and Trademark Office has denied Blackboard’s request to suspend the re-examination process.