Community open source development allows innovators to develop ideas and visions through collaboration. It provides benefits like diverse skills, perspectives, and a combined sense of purpose. An example is NASA's OpenStack project, where NASA worked with a worldwide community to build an open source cloud stack. This aligned with NASA's open government and data plans. It grew rapidly from 30 companies in its first month to over 2300 members today. In summary, community open source is an option for innovators to turn ideas into reality by leveraging transparency, collaboration and participation. Due diligence is needed regarding intellectual property and security.

1. Community Open Source Development:
The Possibilities for Innovators
Raymond G. O’Brien
ARC CTO for IT
January 27, 2012

2. It starts with an
idea – Idea
I Have an or maybe
even a rough
vision
February 3, 2012

3. You want to develop the idea with
others (with the same interest,
passion, desire, etc.)
February 3, 2012

4. What are the choices?
 Encourage informal internal pursuit (think Google Time)
 Initiate a formal house development project staffed with
employees, interns
 Contact for engineering and development services
 Award a grant
 Establish a formal partnership with a public or private
entity
 Respond to a call for proposals
 Start your own business
 Do nothing; wait
 Or…
February 3, 2012

5. Start or join a Community Open Source
Development Project
February 3, 2012

6. Two Open Source Development
Approaches
 Cathedral –
development by an
exclusive group
 Bazaar –
development by a
community
2/3/2012

7. A Community Brings A Lot To The Table
 Diverse skills and experience
 Different perspectives
 Different priorities and motivations
 Energy and passion
 A combined sense of purpose
February 3, 2012

8. An exciting example from NASA
 NASA uses commercially available products whenever
possible
 But sometimes choice is limited and there is an
opportunity for NASA to enhance a sector of IT
I
Innovation in Cloud
Computing
February 3, 2012

9. There was this project called Nebula
February 3, 2012

10. The Nebula team had an idea (or
more accurately, a grand vision)
 NASA would work with a world-wide community of
developers to build an open source cloud stack
February 3, 2012

11. It was achieved!
 In July 2010, Rackspace and NASA each contributed the
foundational components of Openstack
» A new open source development community was formed overnight
 In just 18 months, its growth has been phenomenal
» 2300+ community members; 150 corporations
February 3, 2012

12. It Happened
 vxccxvxcv
2/3/2012

13. World-wide development
community
February 3, 2012

14. OpenStack Metrics
 First bug reported 8 minutes after launch; fixed 12
minutes later
 30 companies within first month, 50 within eight months;
150 today
 2300 members of the development community
 Named #2 and #4 most popular new open source
projects in 2010 as measured by Black Duck
 In first month, Iphone, Ipad, and Android interfaces
created
 Selected by Canonical for Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud
 Selected by HP and AT&T for delivering public cloud
services; chosen by Dell for private cloud offerings
February 3, 2012

15. Mapping Open Source Development
to NASA’s Open Government Plan
 Aligns perfectly with
the Plan’s 3 major
tenets:
» Transparency
» Collaboration
» Participation
 Flagship initiative
2/3/2012

16. Mapping Open Source Development
to NASA’s Open Data Plan
 NASA’s public data
sets are intended to
be processed and
manipulated
 New policy being
pursued will allow
NASA to participate
in SW development
with the public
towards this end
2/3/2012

17. NASA’s new code.nasa.gov site
2/3/2012

18. Community Open Source
Development: The Possibilities for
Innovators
 Address a gap  Test an idea
 Create standards  Achieve a goal sooner
 Pursue a vision  Demonstrate a success as
 Build, enhance, or support a basis for …
community  Expose security and other
 Leverage inherent mechanisms to scrutiny for
characteristics of finding flaws
transparency, collaboration,  Create missing interfaces
and participation  Create competition
 Practice public-private  Influence direction
collaboration  Build an open foundation for
 Start a movement a new product, business
 Create niche capabilities  Differentiate
 Share your knowledge  Create economic advantage
2/3/2012

19. In Summary
 Community open source development provides an
exciting and proven option for innovators to turning ideas,
visions, and plans to reality
 However, remember to do your homework:
» Intellectual property, export control, and security details can be
complex
» Make the investment in gaining the necessary understanding of the
open source model and associated licensing
 The rewards can be staggering!
2/3/2012