With less than two days to go before the International Standards Organization (ISO) decides on whether or not to approve Microsoft’s Office Open XML (OOXML), lovers and haters of the format are intensifying their arguments for a last hurrah.
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Efforts to increase the adoption of open source software are being derailed by the efforts of a "loud minority" within the community that have stooped to making personal attacks on those deemed to be enemies, according to one of the open source movement's strongest advocates.
So says Jeff Waugh of open source advocacy group Waugh Partners, fed up after a series of personal attacks directed at the heads of government agencies, including comments directed at Australian Taxation Office CIO Bill Gibson, after he told ZDNet.com.au that his agency's adoption of open source software had been stalled by security concerns.
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A new survey of companies and individuals supplying Open Source solutions and services claims to show that Open Source IT professionals make more money than their proprietary IT counterparts because they're more highly skilled.
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Ubuntu is the favourite distribution of Linux for use on both desktops and servers, according to a poll of Australian open source enthusiasts.
The survey, which was conducted by Sydney-based consultancy Waugh Partners, also found that Queensland is the best state in which to study open source and proprietary source developers are paid less than their open source counterparts.
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In what may the country's first comprehensive survey of the open source industry, the Australian Open Source Industry Census has revealed IT professionals working with free software earn more than the national average.
The census, due for full release in March, was conducted by Sydney-based consulting firm Waugh Partners with support from Fujitsu, IBM and NICTA.
Waugh Partners' directors Pia and Jeff Waugh released partial findings from the census during a presentation at the Linux.conf.au Linux and open source conference in Melbourne last week.
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Typical Australian open source developers are 26 years old and spend their days being bored in Canberra. Despite that, free software enthusiasts have more sex and earn more money than you might expect, a new survey reveals.
At linux.conf.au, Waugh Partners offered a preview of some of the results from its Australian Open Source Industry & Community Census 2007, focusing on self-identified members of the open source community.
Responses from 327 participants were included in the details revealed from the online study, which aimed to dispel the myth that open source supporters are invariably bearded geeks, male and impoverished, company co-founder Jeff Waugh said.
"There are certain perceptions of the community that are somewhat inaccurate," he commented. The survey was sponsored by Fujitsu, IBM and NICTA.
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IT workers who specialise in free and open source software are earning more than the national average for IT, according to the results of Australia's first open source census.
The average full time salary of respondents to the Australian Open Source Industry and Community Census was between $76,000 and $100,000, but the 10 percent working on open source full time were earning “a lot more” according Pia Waugh of Waugh Partners consultancy, which conducted the survey.
“The people who were working on free software full time were earning more than the average for the general community,” she said.
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Representing Open Source Industry Australia, Jeff Waugh voiced his concerns over the relatively short length of time the complex standard has been under review, compared to the extended standardisation process ODF underwent.
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"We're for the open, transparent and participatory administration and maintenance of the standard. This maybe a great opportunity, but as it stands OSIA's recommendation for Standards Australia will continue to be 'no'."
A summary of the symposium, put together by Pia Waugh of Waugh Partners, can be found here.
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Sydney-based open source research and consulting firm Waugh Partners has won this year's State Pearcey Award for Young Achievers for its work educating the ICT sector about free software.
Waugh Partners directors Pia and Jeff Waugh received the award, which for the first time was presented to two people, instead of an individual.
The State Pearcey award is aimed at encouraging and rewarding fresh and innovative talent in the IT profession and is awarded for "innovative and pioneering achievement and contribution to research and development within the IT&T industry".
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Open source consultant and developer Jeff Waugh thinks that SourceForge has done a few good things with its marketplace, but it falls short of getting the Open Source clearinghouse model down pat.
"While SourceForge.net has a head start thanks to its well-known brand, it's early days in this market, and there are a lot of competitors and models in action already," he said, via e-mail.
