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Unsung, Unpaid Coders Behind Federal IT Dashboard

Posted by Soulskill on from the where-credit-is-due dept.

theodp writes "The Federal CIO got a standing ovation for the new Federal IT Dashboard. Federal contractors got the cash. But sneak a peek at the 'customcode' directory behind the Dashboard, and you'll see that some individuals also helped bring it to life with their free software. For starters, there's Timothy Groves' Auto Suggest (Creative Commons License), Alf Magne Kalleland's Ajax Tooltip and Dynamic List (GNU Lesser General Public License), and Gregory Wild-Smith's Simple AJAX Code-Kit (SACK) (modified X11 License)."

3 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. And isn't this the point? by hattig · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A good example of how free, open source, software benefits everyone.

    The submission reads like it's different, and that other people have garnered the ovations for these people's work, but the work is in enabling technology, frameworks. Much like Sun doesn't get an ovation or money when a successful Java project is deployed, I fail to see how this is different.

    Nice for the coders to get some recognition however.

    1. Re:And isn't this the point? by hattig · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It was their choice to release their code under an open source license.

      I presume that like most good coders, they'll have a decently paying job that is already putting food on the table.

      If they wanted to make money from this work, they could have chosen a different license that was more restrictive. They could be offering support or other services for it.

  2. !stealing by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Whoever tagged this story as "stealing" doesn't understand Free Software. The Federal CIO deserves extra credit for properly understanding and using it. Which, in turn, promotes it in the most powerful way.

    Remember that the Feds have given away more software and other tech than any other single source. Including the Internet itself, and indeed jumpstarting computers, microprocessors, and even universal telephone service. Your tax dollars at work - in a way that private industry cannot claim. Events that have changed the world into a much freer place, both for software and for everything else.

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    make install -not war