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Life is Never Dull These Days

Computing Stack Proprietary Solutions Are all layers in play? Chip Server Operating System Server Software Applications

“Commercial vendors vary in the degree of their commitment to, and delivery of, flexible, interoperable systems that are truly based on open standards.” --- Chris Vento, Syllabus, April 2004

“…A second discontinuity for vendors is the double-edged sword of creating true interoperability while selling unique value. Customers want open systems using open standards, but the very act of truly achieving this commoditizes the proprietary value of a system’s uniqueness.” EDUCAUSE Review, July/August 2004

Time Commodity Proprietary By fostering Open Standards and Creating Community Source, Higher Ed Drives in this Direction One of Higher Ed’s Impacts on IT? Networks Shib/CAS FEDORA uPortal Sakai Kuali? SSS? Just the Software!

“Community source describes a model for the purposeful coordinating of work in a community. It is based on many of the principles of open source development efforts, but community source efforts rely more explicitly on defined roles, responsibilities, and funded commitments by community members than some open source development models.” …. from Community Source Projects

“Community source describes a model for the purposeful coordinating of work in a community. It is based on many of the principles of open source development efforts, but community source efforts rely more explicitly on defined roles, responsibilities, and funded commitments by community members than some open source development models.” …. from Community Source Projects

It’s All About the User Experience Users are more involved with Community Source applications because it is more flexible in meeting their immediate needs than some vended packages. The time and money spent on software licenses and maintenance fees for vendor packages can be redirected toward achieving the desired outcome. TC v = Σ(N L + X v + $M v)

It’s All About the User Experience When you implement an application you are implementing the business rules that are embedded within that application –Community source projects developed within University environments are more likely to conform within our own set of Higher Education business rules, processes, and cultures.

Staff Impact: Focuses your resources on your campus IT staff’s professional growth helping with recruitment and retention More ownership and collaboration: Participation in community development projects is often rewarding on many levels Avoids the vendor implementation knowledge transfer problem

Community Source: Some Issues Some assembly Req’d - comes as is Harder to estimate total costs: –to install, modify, support and for integration More overhead for management in an Community Source implementation (no vendor to lean on)……maybe Need to foster culture of resourceful staff who are self-reliant

Support models See ya! Live long and prosper! Hey let’s meet regularly and compare notes Contract with a 3rd party commercial partner –Buy a packaged version, with documentation and ongoing support (The Penguin Model) –Buy just implementation support and perhaps ongoing Fund and create a reference version that has some support resources –U-Portal, SEPP, etc.

Exercise 2 – Is Community Source Right for you? Attribute Size of Institution??? Available internal resources Limited Resources Inexperienced Resources Experienced Resources Cost of commercial deployment Low cost solutions available Medium cost solutions High Cost solutions Complexity of commercial deploymentStraight Forward Medium complexityHigh Complexity Mainstream product uses Like everyone elseSome uniqueness No one does it like us External Support for OSS Good support from vendors Find some vendor support Strong partner with OSS service provider

Governance Kuali Financial Systems Board –One Voting member from each Institution –Chair from an Institution –Extended Board…..others from institutions –NACUBO Single Project Manager –Answerable to Board –Tendered Developers from each Institution Functional Council –Members from each Institution –Subcommittees

Governance/cont’d Kuali Foundation –Ongoing governance Kuali Partners Program –Free? Membership ‘fee’ ? –Commercial Affiliates