Open Source Resources

This page is meant to hold some initial resources for building towards a web resource.

It is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather to hold some tried & test/people's favourite VCS/OSS-related resources for initial signposting. Many of the following pages have their own links to further resources.

See also the separate pages devoted to:

• Open Source Questions
• Open Source Tools (for specific pieces of software)
• Case Studies
• OSS Advocates
• OSS Training
• Other Resources (for resources not necessarily OSS-based, but related or allied in some way).
• Wants and Offers - for exchange of expertise etc...

Links open in new windows

OSS-related:

General Sources of info

(See also OSS press below)

• Linux Questions: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/
• Linux Documentation Project: http://www.tldp.org/
• Screenshot demo of typical linux (Mandrake 10.1) installation: http://www.linuxbeta.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=41&slide=1
• page from Open Concept Consulting in Ottawa, Canada, relating to NGOs & OSS: http://www.openconcept.ca/index.php/WebCampaigns/NGOsAndOpenSource
• GrokDoc's usability study of GNU/Linux new users ("newbies"): http://www.grokdoc.net/index.php/Main_Page (see the links on their resources page for further places to look for OSS guides)
• Tom's Hardware Guide article on migrating from Windows to Linux: http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20040329/
• Eric S Raymond's homepage (http://www.catb.org/~esr/), with link to The Catherdral & the Bazaar - text on Open Source development methodologies: http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/
• OSS Guides: http://eprimers.apdip.net/series/foss/titles
• e Riders Guide to OSS: http://www.eriders.net/resources/opensource2/
• Dotorgmedia Newsletters #11 & #12 for Non-profits guide to using OSS and survey on what non-profits would like to see in OSS
• Choosing Open Source - A guide for civil society organizations by Mark Surman and Jason Diceman, Jan 2004, a Creative Commons article http://commons.ca/articles/fulltext.shtml?x=335
• Choosing and Using Open Source Software: A Primer for Nonprofits - primer from the NonProfit Open Source Initiative
• eriders guide to Open Source: http://erider.cult.bg/resources/opensource2/, with some recommended tools at http://erider.cult.bg/resources/opensource/

Major OSS-related Institutions and Organisations + International Organisations with OSS activities

• Open Source Initiative: http://www.opensource.org/
• Free Software Foundation/GNU Project: http://www.gnu.org/, with links to other orgs at http://www.gnu.org/links/links.html
• Free Software Foundation Europe: http://www.fsfeurope.org/
• International Open Source Network: http://www.iosn.net/ (Centre of Excellence for FOSS in the Asia-Pacific Region, backed by the United Nations and International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada)
• Asia Pacific Development Information Programme AGDIP OSS resources http://www.apdip.net/resources/open-source
• NonProfit Open Source Initiative: http://www.nosi.net/

UK Organisations & User Groups

• OpenAdvantage - OSS advocacy in the West Midlands (UK): http://www.openadvantage.org
• OSS Watch - OSS developments for the UK Higher Education Sector: http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/
• The Open Source Foundation - UK OSS advocacy organisation: http://www.osfoundation.com/index.php
• UK Linux Users Groups - co-ordinating body: http://www.lug.org.uk
• List of Linux User Groups in the UK: http://www.lug.org.uk/lugs/index.php
• LONIX - London Linux User Group: http://www.lonix.org.uk/tnet-cgi/Lonix
• GLLUG - Greater London Linux User Group: http://www.gllug.org.uk/
• UKUUG - UK Unix & Open Systems User Group: http://www.ukuug.org/

VCS/NGO/Non-profit OSS projects:

This section has moved to CaseStudies, 25.9.04

Distribution lists

List for this initiative - regsiter on ContactUs (this is currently an announcements-only list, but the coordinators are looking into opening it out for general discussion in the ear future (Sept 04)

OSS-literate ICT Consultants

Any contributions for this list will now appear on the Advocates Directory page

Linux Portals

• Linux Newbies: http://www.linuxnewbie.org
• http://www.linux.org/
• Linux Central: http://www.linuxhq.com/
• http://www.linux.com/
• Linux desktop news: http://www.desktoplinux.com/
• http://linux.co.uk/

Distributions

• Distrowatch http://distrowatch.com/
• Ubuntu http://www.ubuntu.com/
• Mandriva http://www.mandriva.com/
• Suse http://www.novell.com/linux/suse/
• Debian http://www.debian.org/
• Red Hat http://www.redhat.com/

Installing Software

• Linux on Laptops http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/
• Tuxmobil http://tuxmobil.org

Software Suppliers

• The Linux Emporium http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk
• Cheep Linux http://www.cheeplinux.com/

OSS Press

Online news

• http://www.newsforge.com/
• http://linuxtoday.com/
• http://www.linuxgazette.com/
• Linux Weekly News: http://lwn.net/
• Slashdot: http://slashdot.org/

Mags & onlines sites

• http://www.linuxjournal.com/
• http://www.linuxworld.com
• http://www.linuxjournal.com/
• http://www.linuxuser.co.uk/
• http://www.linuxformat.com/

Software

The following sites are general repositories of Open Source Software.

Do bear in mind that almost all the software you'll need (including server software) is included with your linux distribution. Using your distribution's own CDs? and depositories is also the easiest way of adding and updating software (e.g. Easyuprmi for Mandrake: http://easyurpmi.zarb.org/)

For examples of specific tools, please see OSSTools

• Sourceforge: http://sourceforge.net/index.php
• Freshmeat: http://freshmeat.net/
• Windows and Linux software equivalents: http://linuxshop.ru/linuxbegin/win-lin-soft-en/table.shtml

Are there any comparative reviews for FOSS (Free and Open Source) software? Which programs are the easiest to use, which the most fully featured, which the emerging standards etc.

Events

Similar events:

• Penguin Day
• Demystifying Open Source
• Software Freedom Day (28 August 2004): http://www.softwarefreedomday.org/
• Edinburgh event to mark Software Freedom day: http://freedom.blogsite.org/
• Linuxworld Expo London Olympia 6-7 October 2004
• Small Organisations Workshop, Edinburgh, Sat 16th / Sun 17th October 2004, 13:00-17:00

For resources not explicitly OSS, please see OtherResources

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