2008 Woodie Awards
Club of the Week
Clarkson Open Source Institute
Aaron Fetterman
Issue date: 10/24/05 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
Ever get frustrated with Windows and wanted to try out an open source operating system, but held back because you don't have the knowledge to really use it? Ever had a really cool idea for a Firefox extension? The Clarkson Open Source Institute (COSI) is a place where you can get that knowledge, experience, and the support you need to get ideas realized. COSI aims to develop and promote the use of open source software, and to provide a playpen to try project ideas.
Open Source Software is good for two really big reasons: first, it's free. You can get it, send it to friends, and not worry about any legal things. The source code is also free, so anyone can download it and make modifications. Because anyone can add to it, a lot of really nice features get added. Because anyone can fix it, errors and bugs in the program are smoothed out quicker than in large commercial applications. A lot of open source software is gaining more and more prominence on regular home desktops as more people start to use applications like Gaim and Firefox.
Some members of COSI have won large competitions, winning great prizes and great trips. Last year, members won tickets to the Ottowa Linux convention and Linux world. In the recent Z-Server competition, a few members won iPods and t-shirts.
The COSI lab, on the third floor of the science center, has ten desktop computers and ten servers for members to test their ideas on. Projects that members have worked on in the past include a graphical Gentoo installer, work for the Gnome usability team, and work on the Xen virtualization engine. Xen virtualization allows multiple operating systems to run at the same time on a single machine. It is great for testing and debugging software.
If you're interested in Open Source Software or Linux, or wondering more about what goes on in those labs, COSI has meetings every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. to talk about progress on various projects. Sometimes there are extra presentations and workshops after the meetings.
Open Source Software is good for two really big reasons: first, it's free. You can get it, send it to friends, and not worry about any legal things. The source code is also free, so anyone can download it and make modifications. Because anyone can add to it, a lot of really nice features get added. Because anyone can fix it, errors and bugs in the program are smoothed out quicker than in large commercial applications. A lot of open source software is gaining more and more prominence on regular home desktops as more people start to use applications like Gaim and Firefox.
Some members of COSI have won large competitions, winning great prizes and great trips. Last year, members won tickets to the Ottowa Linux convention and Linux world. In the recent Z-Server competition, a few members won iPods and t-shirts.
The COSI lab, on the third floor of the science center, has ten desktop computers and ten servers for members to test their ideas on. Projects that members have worked on in the past include a graphical Gentoo installer, work for the Gnome usability team, and work on the Xen virtualization engine. Xen virtualization allows multiple operating systems to run at the same time on a single machine. It is great for testing and debugging software.
If you're interested in Open Source Software or Linux, or wondering more about what goes on in those labs, COSI has meetings every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. to talk about progress on various projects. Sometimes there are extra presentations and workshops after the meetings.