Open Source Software in an Agile World

Open Source Software (contrasted with proprietary or “closed” software) has become a more widely accepted enterprise solution not withstanding some issues related to intellectual property rights and issues of liability and indemnification. Open Source Software (OSS) takes collaborative software development to a global extreme – OSS also provides a mechanism for decreasing time-to-market, improved quality, and reduced development costs. This panel will serve as a catalyst to discuss strategies, tools, and communities focused on the development and application of open source software. 1 Steven Fraser (Panel Moderator) Steven Fraser recently (January 2005) joined QUALCOMM’s Learning Centre as a member of senior staff in San Diego, California – with responsibilities for tech transfer and technical learning. From 2002 to 2004 Steven was an independent software consultant on tech transfer and disruptive technologies. Previous to 2002 Steven held a variety of software technology program management roles at Nortel and BNR (Bell-Northern Research) including: Process Architect, Senior Manager (Disruptive Technology and Global External Research), Advisor (Design Process Engineering), General Chair (Nortel Design Forum), and Software Reuse Program Prime. In 1994 he spent a year as a Visiting Scientist at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) collaborating with the “Application of Software Models Project” on the development of team-based domain analysis techniques. Since 1994, Steven has regularly moderated panels at ACM’s OOPSLA and other software conferences – serving as OOPSLA panels chair in 2003 and as XP2006’s General Chair. Steven holds a Doctorate in Electrical Engineering (software graphics standards validation) from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, an MS in Physics (Queen’s University at Kingston), and a BS in Physics and Computer Science (McGill University). Steven is a member of the ACM and IEEE. 218 S. Fraser et al.