We had a great Penguin Day in DC today! There was an incredible amount of energy in the room, and lots of great conversations. We had a bunch of people talk about the kinds of barriers they find in the ability of nonprofits to adopt open source, and ways that NOSI can help to lower those barriers.

We've gotten some great ideas over the past 3 days, in conversations, in a strategy session, and at Penguin Day, and we'll be exited to share those ideas, and the actions they will spawn, over the next month or so.

There's a lot more to come.

Thanks to the wonderful folks of Aspiration and PICNet - it was a great collaboration!

I hope that those of you who are at NTC got your penguin.

NOSI has had a good presence here at the conference. We did a "Geek Out" on Linux - helping a few folks install Ubuntu, troubleshooting some issues (mostly wireless cards,) and just having fun. NOSI designed and moderated a session on "Case Studies of Open Source Software" - with Jon Stahl of One Northwest, Kim Lowery of Kabissa, and James Jones of the American Red Cross. We had an overflow crowd many people had to sit on the floor!

Next up: Penguin Day -a day chock full of great open source information. Hope to see you there. We'll be posting a post-conference summary soon!

This is a call for participation in NOSI's varied activities at the next NTC in DC in April. If you're coming to NTC, here's what we're up to:

1) Two NOSI-organized sessions:

Choosing Open Source, connecting with project communities

Choosing open source tools to solve nonprofit technology problems can be a daunting task. There can be different options, and choosing an open source project can seem not as straightforward as choosing a regular software vendor. Open source tools, for the most part, are driven by a community of developers, technologists, and users who work together to make the project better. Some open source software projects have more vibrant communities than others. This session will help you find and choose open source tools, and connect with project communities for support, and get involved in making open source projects better.

Case Studies in Open Source Software use in the nonprofit sector

Come and hear case studies of using open source software. We'll have some individuals from nonprofits and from technology providers talk about their experiences using open source software. You'll hear about why they chose the software project they did, how they implemented it, what ptifalls they might have run into, and what the final results were.

2) A NOSI Organized geek-out:

Title: Bring your Laptop, Penguin or Not

Description: Bring your laptop for a collective installfest and troubleshooting session. Have Linux already, and haven't gotten that wireless card to work yet? Can't seem to change the resolution on your screen? Having trouble using Flash? Or, if your laptop currently has that will be unnamed proprietary operating system on it, come get a Penguin! We'll help you install a flavor of Linux and show you the ropes. If you have a really old laptop, bring that, too and you can install one of the lightweight, bare bones Linux distros, instead of lumbering along with a crufty copy of Windows 98. We'll have several flavors of Ubuntu Linux handy, if you want to try something else out, do bring it with you. If you're a Linux newbie, or an expert, or somewhere in between, this is the chance to get help, give help, chat about, and get your hands dirty with Linux.

We've also proposed a couple of Affinity Group meetings - we'll let you know more about that when we know.

First off, if you're going to be at NTC, please put these sessions in your conference calendar. Second, if you are a Linux geek, and are going to NTC, please email me (michelle at nosi dot net) and let me know - I'd love to get some additional Linux expertise at the geek out. And, also, if you think that you've got a particularly compelling case study or experience with open source communities, send me an email as well. I'll also been soliciting some participants individually.

Also, don't forget about Penguin Day! NOSI is co-organizing Penguin Day, which is the Saturday following NTC (April 7th)

Thanks all, and I look forward to seeing NOSI folks at NTC!

The primer was mentioned in a list of useful resources for the nonprofit sector (sorry, they now have moved this link into subscriber only pages), that was published in the Wall Street Journal yesterday.

Join me at the Aspiration offices in the San Francisco Nonprofit Technology Center for the first of what we hope will be many NOSI Salons.

The Nonprofit Open Source Initiative (NOSI) is gearing up for a new phase of activity, and we want to hear what you are thinking about open source software and it's role in the nonprofit sector. In what ways is the connection working? How is it not? What kinds of new ideas and resources are needed? We're also looking to start conversations on how to get nonprofits involved in the open source community. How do we foster open source development in the nonprofit sector? How do we educate nonprofit technology staff and consultants on the ethos of open source software, not just it's practical applications?

Talk with Michelle Murrain of NOSI and Allen Gunn of Aspiration about your ideas and passions for open source. Snacks and beverages provided. We'll be meeting at the Aspiration offices - 1370 Mission St. 4th Floor, in San Francisco, at 5:30-7:00 pm on December 11th. Please come by, and lend us your ideas, and tell us what you think NOSI should be tackling in the next year.

And if you can't come to the Salon, drop me a note, or login here and leave comments. We'll be posting a report in a day or so after the event.