Open Source in the DoD; Build It

Don’t Just Use ItBuild It!

Building Open Source Software in the DoD

Or

A rapid dose of wishful thinking

DoD is coming to grips with Open Source

Software.

Today...

It’s like COTS, It Even Comes in a Box

YawnPhoto creative commons licensed from http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=432710571&size=l

But, imagine this...

Welcome to www.SOSCOE.org

SOSCOE is the glue that holds FCS together...

DistributedPeer to PeerOpen

ProjectDocumentationSourceWiki

Get Started!Get SOSCOEJoinBuy a Tee shirt! ... and is an open source project funded by the U.S. Army

to develop a next generation real time distributed platform.You are free to use, modify, and distribute SOSCOE.

Don’t worry, we aren’t sharing the super secret squirrel stuff.

Or...www.open-cjmtk.orgwww.falconview.orgwww.webcop.org

www.open-disa.org/necc

You mean “corporate source” right?

Right??

Q: Assuming a Normal distribution, how many developers must have the

opportunity to self select for your project in order to have a 90% confidence that at least 1% of the actual participants will be 5 σ above the mean? You know, the crazy

smart ones.

The ones youwant

A: More open is better

Community Process: Gate the commit not the source

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dunechaser/134671996/

Linus “the dictator”

So, you mean something like “SHARE” right?

A Brief Aside:

Three ways (that I can think of) to make source funded by government “open”* in

the DoD* No attempt here to conform to OSF definition

• Government asserts rights (unlimited, or gov purpose) and shares the code

• Government Owned (they wrote it) and released via PAO

• Contractor copyright released to open source community

• Government asserts rights (unlimited, or gov purpose) and shares the code

• Government Owned (they wrote it) and released via PAO

• Contractor copyright released to open source community

“SHARE” is this one

But, if you’re a contractor you don’t have to wait for your

customer to make you SHARE.

You’re customer is sick of the Proprietary Lock In Model (and doesn’t it make

you feel kind of crappy too?).

Maybe there is a Tipping Point?

If you are standing here...

... go ahead and

push!

ProprietaryLock In

• Government asserts rights (unlimited, or gov purpose) and shares the code

• Government Owned (they wrote it) and released via PAO

• Contractor copyright released to open source community

So, do this one

Huh, Why?

Del

ight

you

r cu

stom

er

To do more with less!

Hire, retain, and excite great developers.

Obtain GreatKarma

Get freebeer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pete4ducks/1364334188/

We decided to try it

What we got:• A seat at the standards table

• Energized developers who are contributing and are known

• A broad community to critique and help fix our stuff

• Sun testing and marketing our stuff

• Visibility for our brand

• An intentionally commoditized, easy to adopt stack

rVooz.org

A few quick questions:

Q: Do you think the “open source

community” owes you process compliance

(and ear tags)?

Q: Have you ever attended an OSCON? BarCamp? Heck, even a Gartner open source

conference?

Q: Do you think there is a moral / ethical dimension to

the adoption of OSS in government? Are you

prepared to work with people who do?

Q: Now that Gen Justice got you fired up about the value of community, where the heck are

the communities?

Q: Are you prepared for the moment when open software, developed under government

contract, is forked by the Chinese for their use?

Jim Stogdilljstogdill@gestalt-llc.com

www.limnthis.com

Thanks!