Google and Oregon Launch Open Source Initiative

* * Beatles-Beatles tells us that Google is entering into a $350,000 joint open source technology venture with both Oregon State and Portland State Universities. From the article: "With the grant, the universities will collaborate to encourage open source software and hardware development, develop academic curricula and provide computing infrastructure to open source projects worldwide. The universities will also help provide a bridge between Oregon's universities and Oregon's growing open technology industry." Google also has their version of the announcement on blogspot.

Comments

A prediction

[aussie_a]

I can predict that the majority of posts will be that this is a good thing. However I can't help but think that if Microsoft worked with a state and university to encourage closed source software and hardware development, develop academic curricula and provide computing infrastructure to closed source projects worldwide that everyone would say how dare a company try to buy a university into spreading it's FUD.

While it's a good thing that this university is helping to develop open source software, this sort of zealotry on slashdot makes it difficult to take any points it offers on closed or open source software. Open source zealots ultimately hurt open source software more then closed source software. So perhaps think about the points you make before you start preaching to the choir.

Re:A prediction

[Anonymous Coward]

However I can't help but think that if Microsoft worked with a state and university to encourage closed source software and hardware development, develop academic curricula and provide computing infrastructure to closed source projects worldwide that everyone would say how dare a company try to buy a university into spreading it's FUD.

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Microsoft gives free version of Visual Studio .NET 2003, XP, 2k, Virtual Server, SQL, and a host of other programs for free to people who are in the engineering department of my school. The interesting thing is, even if you are in a completly unrelated curriculum (such as Electrical Engineering or Assembly Programming), you still get the whole lot of it for free.

Draw whatever conclusions you like, I for one feel good about owning a valid Microsoft CD key for the first time since I played Zork. Then again, I liked Crystal Pepsi and the band Styx, so YMMV.

Re:A prediction

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft (and Gates) have given billions to charity and put computers in thousands of schools.

Google temporarily placed a hurricane donation link on their website.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

Re:A prediction

[size1one]

"The university can just go to another provider if they don't like Google's attitude -- that's why it's different with open source software. With closed source it would be a lock-in."

In fact thats just what Oregon State University did when googles prices were too high. They replaced thier Google box with Nutch Search Engine and saved around $100,000 a year. Fortunatly Google apparently does not have any (or enough) bad blood about this to prevent them from taking the initiative to promote open source.

OSH?

[werewolf1031]

...to encourage open source software and hardware development...

Ok, I can see open source software development being done at minimal cost, but hardware? Not trolling here, I'm genuinely curious, can someone explain to me how open source hardware development can be economical? I mean let's face a little reality here, if someone is going to undertake the (rather expensive) industrial task of hardware development, at the very least the need to recoup their investment, and ideally they'll make a profit -- at least that's the goal, or else they wouldn't bother in the first place.

Sooo... Anyone care to chime in here and explain this to me? Thanks in advance.

Re:Why was Oregon U Chosen?

[genericacct]

For one thing, we are home to the OSDL and Linus Torvalds. PSU and OSU have pretty good Computer Science programs. Intel and Tektronix have huge campuses here. There's no shortage of computing professionals in Oregon.

I'm just surprised Portland State and Oregon State don't have anything about it on their front pages.

Makes me wonder..

[FunWithKnives]

Why there are no Linux (or BSD, etc) versions of the majority of Google's software? Kind of unusual, eh?

Re:not sure...

[darkmeridian]

I think we ain't seen nothing yet from Google. The projects are synergistic. Once it all comes together, then watch out.

Froogle wasn't meant to compete with Amazon because Google never stocked products. But pretend Google gets a good micropayment system going. GMoney lets you buy from vendors that show up on Froogle. Or GMail/GTalk gives you an ad from a GMoney accepting vendor. So Google makes money from the ads and from the GMoney transaction fees.

GVideo? Yep. Micropayments.

GData? Don't use Microsoft. Just use our webbrower based system.

You sell your Google stock. I think Google will do just fine.

Buying the silence of critics

[Anonymous Coward]

The reason Google invests so much in "Summer of Code" open source and this recent Oregon initiative is to buy silence from critics.

This is because Google relies on its software patent regarding PageRank (named after Larry Page, the co-founder of Google), which is the fundamental reason why Google's search results are better than the competition's. Yet software patents are evil and are opposed by the open source crowd.

By giving money to the open source crowd, Google is trying to buy their silence and support.

Judging from the number of times Google has appeared on Slashdot, which is part of the "Open Source Technology Group", Google's ruse appears to be working.

Re:Core curriculum

[slapout]

I could see the Freshman starting with learning the data structures, etc. Then having the Seniors work on OSS for their work as opposed to a project that the prof makes up.