What is the Open Source Lab?
The Oregon State University Open Source Lab is the home of growing, high-impact open source communities. Its world-class hosting services enable the Linux operating system, Apache web server, the Drupal content management system and over 50 other leading open source software projects to collaborate with contributors and distribute software to millions of users globally. Through custom software development, vendor partnerships and industry events like the Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON), the Lab's staff and students encourage open source adoption in education, government, health care and other sectors.
 What is Open Source Software?
"Open source" means that the building blocks for a program are freely available to use, modify, and improve. This provides for rapid software development by contributors worldwide, and the resulting program is available for anyone to use, anywhere, free of charge.
For more information on open source software and the Open Source Lab, click here.
 Open Source is all about contributions.
Countless numbers of developers are all giving of their time and talents to code, document, test, design, and deliver software so that the end user may benefit from it. The Open Source Lab is here to contribute resources to the community, allowing developers to focus on what they do best rather than having to spend time worrying about system resources and hosting. To continue operating, we need your contributions as well.

Latest OSUOSL News

ArticleThumbThere is an excellent article about the Open Source Lab in the winter issue of the Oregon Stater (OSU's Alumni magazine). Recipients started getting their printed copies over the weekend. We are lucky enough to share an electronic copy with the global community You can find this 1.2 meg pdf here (via osualum.com). Thanks to Ann Kinkley for the article!

PS - I just added Peter Krenesky's blog to Planet OSL. He is a full time developer for the OSL. Be sure to check it out, he has just posted a great starter on a project of his to visualize our hits to ftp.osuosl.org
Please accept our apologies for the latest rackathon update, it was weeks overdue. We wanted to move our rackathon signs up to the new data center, and in the process of doing so change the format a bit to show logos of some of the key projects found inside. This format is a work in progress. For now, we have put signs up on two of our racks (with many more looking bare). Take a look at the pictures at osuosl.org/contribute/rackathonpics.

As mentioned before, we are working on a more formalized sponsorship program that would encompass our corporate sponsors, projects, and individuals alike. Stay tuned in the next couple of weeks for the launch. Organizations wishing to get in on this program as initial sponsors, feel free to email donations at osuosl.org.

Read more for some of what we are raising funds for..
(I tried to do the entire title in acronyms but fell short). We would like to draw your attention to some of the events in open source that are happening around the Oregon State University campus. There are two groups in particular that work closely together, and work closely with the OSL: the Linux Users Group (LUG) and the Open Source Education Lab (OSEL). To help our visitors find out more about what happens locally, we have aggregated their news into a new page on our site called OSS News at OSU. Check it out and get involved!

If you are looking for more dynamic content still, stop by our own blog aggregator - Planet OSL, or the Linux Users Group's LUG Planet.