ubuntu-us-ne Non-profits

[Matthew Platte]

You'd think that most folks working in the not-for-profit arena would  
respond positively to the "free as in freedom" argument even if the  
"free as in beer" aspect isn't so important since they get such deep  
discounts at TechSoup.com et al.

Here's something that arrived in my mailbox recently:

> As you've possibly heard, NOSI has been entering into a new phase of
> activity, and we've got a bunch of things up our sleeve. Here's a few:
>
> - We have a new coordinator, Michelle Murrain, who will be working on
> building partnerships, resources, and a financial foundation for NOSI
> to grow.
> - We are inaugurating a series of "salons", starting in San Francisco
> in December, and moving to a city near you, to start and continue
> conversations about NOSI, what it should be doing, and how we can
> begin to work on issues of open source software in the sector
> - We will be involved in Penguin Day activities
>
> We will soon announce a series of projects that we'll be undertaking
> in the next year. In the meantime, the Steering Committee and I are
> interested in hearing what you need from NOSI. How can we continue to
> be a resource and asset to non profit organizations? How do you want
> to work with NOSI? Feel free to raise ideas on the NOSI discussion
> list or to contact the coordinator (michelle at nosi.net)
>
> The Nonprofit Open Source Initiative (NOSI) has existed  almost as
> long as the nonprofit technology field, and the FOSS (Free and Open
> Source Software) movement have been organized. As these movements
> grow, so must NOSI. We began with a focus on reaching out to
> nonprofit organizations and technology providers to educate them
> about free and open source software resources available to them and
> the ways it could be useful for to support the work they were doing.
>
> Today, open source software projects like Firefox and Apache are
> ubiquitous and extremely successful. You won't just get blank stares
> if you mention Linux to non-programmers. A number of open source
> software packages designed explicitly for nonprofit organizations
> have established themselves and are proving quite successful. Still,
> there is plenty of work to do.
>
> There still is no organization that can remain independent while
> partnering with organizations and projects to focus on providing
> concrete resources like documentation and training that will help
> nonprofits choose and use open source software. There is a clear need
> to foster open source development in the nonprofit technology sector.
>
> NOSI hopes we can meet these challenges. We look forward to hearing
> from you as we move ahead. The values of free and open source
> software development are, in so many different ways, deeply in sync
> with those of much of the nonprofit sector, and we hope we'll be able
> to forge new and engaging partnerships between these two sectors, for
> the benefit of all of us.
>
> -------------------------
> Michelle Murrain, Coordinator
> Nonprofit Open Source Initiative
> michelle at nosi.net
> http://nosi.net

I'm old and crotchety enough to prefer clambering onto a bandwagon as  
opposed to building all-new wheels for my buckboard every time I need  
to go somewhere.

I think I still have a few Dapper CDs...

-- 
-------^.^--
Matthew Platte
51 at triopticon.com