55thinking solutions
Understand Open Source ecosystems
Madrid – June 2007

Scope of the presentation
• This presentation has been designed for people who are not familiar with Open source
projects…yet!
• This is an educational material for non-technical new comers, that tries to explain the
main characteristics of Open Source projects
• All Open Source projects are indeed different in their structure & details, but we felt
that most of the messages transmitted in this presentation are widely true
• This presentation is a live document, so any feedbacks and suggestion of
improvement will be taken into consideration
• Let’s start now…

License

My first ever experience with an open source project
Little story tale about my first approximation to an open source project

Once upon a time, I discovered a new galaxy
Open source projects related to Content Management Solutions - C.M.S.

Truth is that I did not know where to start
I installed a few packages in local, read documentation, then started CSI analysis

So I decided to take a decision
Build a business prototype with different open source solutions

First Results were immediate & puzzling …
Information is scarce, partial, technically oriented, dispersed

Until one day I discovered something
Third-party extensions come and complement the core code

That looks like paradise to me
No need to reinvent the wheel, what I need has been done before

I took some height to have a global view, then …
Understand the nature of an open source project

I realised that I was in an archipelago not a galaxy
A core package, third-party extensions around…have a nice journey

I decided to go on exploring in search of treasures
Select your C.M.S before exploring extensively the community of extensions

And I found another piece for my project
Search, analyze and select your best options

Some other pieces were not so suitable to me
You will drop many pieces

But I kept my efforts in order to achieve
For added value generation, a close monitoring of the community is required

Ordering the entropy
The exact state of the community as a whole is sometimes changing fast

And finally I could complete a solution. I was resting
Yes, it works !

Then suddenly, some changes occurred
You will need to regularly update/upgrade the core code

The balance was broken
Core upgrades will have a direct impact on the used third-party extensions

The solution was not working anymore. I had to act
But in some cases, not all extensions will be updated as fast as the core

I looked first for infos in the forums …
You will be able to find lots of information on the forums

I was feeling lost. I was trying to contact someone
Don’t think as in a standard commercial-based support

But there was no phone available, no email either...
No, there are not!

So I posted in the forum & waited
Yes, that’s the correct thing to do

Someone answered quickly, but I did not get it
You will receive help from many people, all over the world

Another one was busy & could not help right away
Sometimes the support will not be as fast as expected

Rumours had it that the project had been dropped
You might hear strange things: do not believe everything, have your own judgment

Or that the lead coder just got married
Yes, this can really happen. Wish the guy all your best !

I was sent for a consultation of the road map…
High level information, no deadlines associated to milestones

…Sometimes I felt desperate, but as often in life…
Go out a while and do some sports, that’s a better option

Finally I found my way. I understood that…
It cost me 12 months to fully understand how an open source community works

I had to customize & maintain the solution
You will need to adapt things & then maintain the solution

To offer a competitive advantage to my clients
Open source solution can be as good as most commercial products

Respecting budget constraints
As license = 0, you will have more budget to adapt the software to your needs

Delivering high client’s satisfaction
If your services are good, your internal/external clients will be very happy

But that’s not all folks
This is not the end yet…

Open source means open knowledge
As laws or receipts are open knowledge, software should be too

Knowledge promotes the development of local activities
People can now see how things work and learn from others

Bringing FREE innovation where it is most needed
NGO, SOHO, SME …all over the world, Africa, Asia, America, Oceania, Europe

So, act & participate in the revolution
As a citizen 2.0, you can have fun & act for the benefits of all

Collaborate with your time supporting newcomers
Provide support in the forums: coders, designers, marketers, trainers, consultants…

Share: case study, code, practices
Bring back value to the community, sharing extensions or explaining best practices

Convince/Train your friends, colleagues, clients, suppliers
You have the power to do anything. Activate your social network

Promote the project in events, seminars or informal chats
Organize local events, be it for hobbyist/students, professionals, companies

Donate the project to help it be more efficient
If you can afford it, don’t be shy. Money will help consolidating the project

There are plenty of open source CMS in the market …
•AIOCP •Fundanemt •PHP-Nuke
•BitWeaver •Geeklog •PHP-Update
•Clever Copy •iGaming CMS •phpComasy
•CMS Made Simple •Jaws •phpwcms
•Contenido •JetBox •phpWebSite
•ContentNow •Joomla •PLUME CMS
•Dragonfly CMS •Jupiter •Postnuke
•Drupal •Mambo •RunCMS
•e107 •MDPro •SilverStripe
•Easyportal •MODx •SPIP
•EcwCMS •Netious •Tiki CMS/Groupware
•Elxis •OneCMS •toendaCMS
•Exponent •Oscailt •Typo3
•ExV2 •Ovidentia •Typolight
•eZ Publish •Papoo •Website Baker
•FlushCMS •PHP-Fusion •Xaraya
•XOOPS

55thinking has chosen Joomla as its reference CMS
Joomla community is unique due to its diversity that brings a clear innovative edge

In Joomla, all together we create value but remember…
It’s about a collective that thinks that software should be distributed a fairer way

That Open Source matters
That’s why whenever you can, don’t forget the final goal, open up & share your code

Conclusions
• Best of breed Open Source solutions can be as good as commercial solutions in performance, security
& functionalities. As the licensing cost are zero, you will have more budget to tailor your solution to
your needs
• An open source project is normally formed by a core code developed by an official core team &
extensions developed by third party coders.
• The interoperability of non-core extensions with the core code should be carefully considered, as an
extensive use of third party extensions may increase the maintenance costs
• Open Source solutions are software solutions: they need maintenance & support. Forums are great
source of support: search first, then ask
• Your organisation can take the most of an Open Source project if the skills are presents & available
in-house. If not, ask for professional support
• Open Source software is more than business model, it has strong ethical roots: think about it and try
to bring back value to the community
• There are plenty of Open source solutions available in the market: choose the one that better fits
your needs. There is no universal panacea

Thanks for reading
Web: http://www.55thinking.com
Email: info@55thinking.com
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