Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) has gone mainstream: the amount of FOSS libraries, components and programs available has grown at an amazing pace, to the point that we can find them used in practically every existing software project developed nowadays. It's a great success, but with this great success come great challenges: the rapid growth of the FOSS code base and its decentralised development model pose new, difficult problems that need to be solved in order to master the increasing complexity that we are facing. Irill is a unique initiative established four years ago to tackle these problems, by Inria, University Paris Diderot and University Pierre et Marie Curie, with the precious support of the Île de France Region. Irill connects top computer science researchers and FOSS developer communities to work together on innovative theory and tools that enable better FOSS software to be built. In this talk, we will provide some highlights of what has been accomplished in the first four years of existence of Irill, and give a glimpse of what is in store for the future.

1. 4 years connecting research and Free Software
Roberto Di Cosmo
October 30th 2014
With the support of
Research and Innovation on Free Software • October 30th, 2014

2. Free/Open Source Software is everywhere
● Apache+nginx server market share
Research and Innovation on Free Software • October 30th, 2014
~61 % (Netcraft)
● Firefox+Chrome+Android browser market share
~58 % (Statcounter)
● Android smartphone market share
~ 85 % in Q2 (Strategy Analytics)
And tthhaatt''ss jjuusstt tthhee ttiipp ooff tthhee iicceebbeerrgg !!

3. Accompanying FOSS growth
We face new challenges
• scientifc,
– an unprecedented change of scale in software artifact size and
speed of evolution, unveils new scientific and technological
problems
• educational,
– Teach tomorrow's engineers how to develop software in the FOSS
environment, and help them stay up to date,
– Educate technical and non technical newcomers to FOSS values
and principles, and include them in the community
• economic,
– Renew transfer from academia to industry, and ease bottom-up
innovation
– Understand and promote business models that foster an open
ecosystem approach to information technologies
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4. Irill : a place to bind them all
Developer
Communities
Industries
Research and Education
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5. Irill, 4 years setting up a virtuous circle
Research
FOSS
Project
Prototype
4 years, 4 cycles
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6. Coccinelle : killing bugs in the Linux kernel
Semantic
Patches
Prototype
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7. Mancoosi : improving quality of distributions
Coinst
upgrades
comigrate
Dose
distcheck
buildcheck
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8. DebSources : all the source code at your
fingertips
Mining
Software
Repositories
DebSources
4 years, 4 cycles
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9. OPAM : package management for OCaml
Opam
+
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10. Ocsigen : Functional Programming in the Web
Functional
Web
Programming
FOSS
Project
or projects
using FOSS
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11. 4 years reaching out to the communities
4 hundred videos from meetings and hackatons
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12. 4 years, 4 actions for education and awareness
● FOSS Courses :
Master Paris Diderot, Edite de Paris
● FOSS SourceBook
http://www.foss-sourcebook.org
● FOSS for technology transfer
Réseau Curie, CVSTENE, IEEPI
● FOSS teachers meetings
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13. 4 years, 4 key people at Irill speak
● Julia Lawall
« a meeting place for innovation around open
source software »
● Albert Cohen
« Frees the initiatives! »
● Stefano Zacchiroli
« a place full of opportunities for bridging
computer sciences research and free
software »
● Vincent Balat
« a central hub of free software communities,
focused on code quality and reliable programs »
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14. 4 years, 4 key testimonials
Louis Rodrigues – Linux kernel developer at SUSE Labs
« Due to its ability of grouping researchers and developers with shared
interests at the same place, Irill can collaborate with different corporations »
Lucas Nussbaum – Debian Project Leader
« Working at the heart of free software communities to build scientific
results, Irill provides an excellent example of transfer with high societal
impact »
Tristan Nitot – Mozilla Europe founder
« Irill is a structure that boosts free software in France, so that the entire
ecosystem benefits »
Stéphane Fermigier – Founder and CEO of Abilian, President of GTLL
« Irill structures and federates the work of numerous computer scientists around
research topics that are unique to free software, and bridges these research
activities with the needs of companies in these domains »
Credit photo: Thomy Keat
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15. A look at the future
Irill : a special structure worth replicating
come and talk to us to learn more
Our renewed mission : contribute to the growth and
preservation of Free and Open Source Software
stay tuned for more information to come
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16. You need Irill, Irill needs you !
Developers : collaborate with us !
Companies : use and fund our projects !
Researchers : connect with the communities !
Teachers : share the good practices !
Public bodies : support our action !
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