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How to be smart about open source

Open source is everywhere in government, but many agencies still struggle with the specifics of choosing, contracting for and contributing to open-source software projects. GCN spoke with open-source advocates in government and industry, and came away with five fundamental lessons.

1. Be clear about your end goal

The most important thing when selecting a [free and open-source] project is picking one that aligns with your business goals, said Marc Jones, an attorney and longtime systems architect in state government. You do not want to pick a project and then realize you now need to invest a lot of effort into modifications to meet your needs. In that respect, it is very similar to acquiring proprietary software.

Tom Cochran, chief digital strategist and vice president for public sector at Acquia, agreed. It would be myopic for any organization to say, Were going to default to open source for everything, said Cochran, who previously worked at the State Department and the White House. Open source should be considered as part of the suite of possible solutions.... It really needs to be done on a case-by-case basis.

CivicActions CEO Henry Poole, however, argued that open source can and should be an end goal for government. Public funds are paying for the public good, he said. Having that code be publicly available, in my opinion, is the right thing to do, just from the point of view of the taxpayer.... You really want to move your acquisition strategy to paying for new technology, not paying for something that already exists.

At the White House, we actually did plant a flag in the ground saying, It had to be open source, Cochran said. Some of that was in reaction to such poor closed-source systems that we had that we didnt want to be boxed into yet another sort of bad procurement.

Avoiding vendor lock-in is a good reason to seriously consider open source, he added. Theres a massive number of small and midsize companies that can do this. And if you dont like the work or support youre getting, you dont have to re-platform.

Everyone interviewed for this article agreed, however: Each open-source solution should be viewed as a potential tool, but the agency mission must drive the decision about which tool to choose.

2. Know what a healthy open-source project looks like

First make sure the software in question is actually a free and open-source project and that all of the features you want to use are also free and open source, said Jones, who now works at CivicActions. Especially in niche markets, companies will offer what is known as open core, where the base features are FOSS, but the valuable stuff that sets them apart in the market is proprietary.

Even worse, some allegedly open-source projects carry restrictive proprietary licenses. They simply mean that you can view the source code, he said.

Once potential open-source solutions have been identified, ProudCity CEO Luke Fretwell said his firm offers a short checklist to gauge viability.

First, he asked, are there maintainers who are true leaders in the community? Brian Behlendorf and Matt Mullenweg, for example, are the highly collaborative faces of the Apache web server and WordPress, respectively. Thats one litmus test because they are banking their personas and careers on those projects.

Second, Fretwell asked, is there a sustainable business that is basing its primary business model off of this product? If there is, thats another check.

Third is use. The consumption side is important a broad user base means theres demand for continued development but what he looks for is the number of contributing software developers, both individuals and businesses.

Fretwell also said he checks to see whether the open-source project has the standard aspects of any sort of industry. Does it have annual events or local communities that are engaging? Are those active?

Poole echoed those points and stressed the need to analyze the ecosystem around the code.

For the web efforts for former President Barack Obamas White House, Cochran said, Drupal was picked largely because of the community. The bigger the support community is, thats how youre magnifying and amplifying your own engineering team.

3. Pick your vendors wisely

The first and most important thing is to have someone on staff who knows what theyre doing and what theyre talking about, Cochran said. Its even more important to have someone who knows what they dont know.

Honestly, it just comes down to relationships and finding the right people who can help you navigate whichever community it is youre trying to get into, he added.

Fretwell said a contractors qualifications boil down to two things: Show me your code, [and then] how involved are you with the community?

Any organization serious about its open-source contributions will have an active GitHub presence where that work can be examined, he added. And a firm whose employees are maintaining components of an open-source project, speaking at conferences and engaging with other contributors will have the expertise and connections to deliver for an agency.

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How to be smart about open source - GCN.com

If you want a dramatic illustration of how much the industry has changed over the past few years, the free version of Avid Media Composer is as good a starting point as any.

Avid Media Composer | First is not the first high-profile non-linear editor to be reincarnated into a free version. Lightworks has had a free version for years, Media 100 (remember that?) can be had for free, and there are any number of freemium editing tools now hitting the marketplace. But it is possibly the most important, with Avids own figures suggesting that 95% of mainstream movies released in 2016 were edited on the software.

It might not be the totally dominant force it once was, but it is still considered industry-leading by many and is probably the most important free version of a post tool since Blackmagic bought daVinci and set Resolve off down the same path,

Avids been down this path before too, releasing a free version of its ProTools audio software last year. And obviously that all went well enough for it to consider doing it all over again.

So what do you get? Well, for anyone who cut their teeth on the bad old days of free software, a surprisingly large amount. Avid itself likes to say that First goes where other free editing applications leave off. Certainly theres a lot of high level stuff in there, including multicam editing, audio ducking, and the ability to reframe high res sources. It is essentially the same as the paid version, only with a set of limitations that will either bother you hugely or not matter at all depending on where you're coming from.

The main limitation is the number of tracks. MC First is limited to four video, and eight audio tracks as opposed to the full versions 24 and 64 respectively. Data tracks are not supported in First and fully supported in MC. File, value and third-party export is not supported, output tops out at 1080p, colour space is limited to 601/709, and there are a whole bunch of other things in there from the number of bins (5 versus unlimited) to a limited core set of video effects, all of which is designed to funnel users to the paid version.

Even that though is not what it was, with subscription-based pricing starting at $49 a month. Elsewhere in the industry Adobe just posted record figures, its creative division revenue exceeding $1 billion in Q2 of this year, with much of that being driven in turn by its move to a subscription model. In other words: pitch it right and these things work incredibly well.

Media Composer | First is available as a free download now and Avid will be hoping that it has the right mix of free features and nagging limitations to grow the user base while simultaneously enticing increasing numbers into the paid version. It will be interesting to see if it succeeds.

See the article here:
Avid's free Media Composer | First hits the servers - RedShark News (press release)

If you want a Stock Review on BOX, CLDR, DATA or HUBS then come over to http://dailystocktracker.com/register/ and sign up for your free customized report today. The global Application Software space is a consolidated industry consisting of ERP, CRM, SCM, and business intelligence and analytics. A combination of factors such as IT spending, technological innovations, and economic growth impacts the industry dynamics significantly.Today, DailyStockTracker.com scans Box Inc. (NYSE: BOX), Cloudera Inc. (NYSE: CLDR), Tableau Software Inc. (NYSE: DATA), and HubSpot Inc. (NYSE: HUBS). Learn more about these stocks by signing up for their free reports on DailyStockTracker.com at: http://dailystocktracker.com/register/

Box Inc.

On Thursday, shares in Redwood City, California headquartered Box Inc. recorded a trading volume of 2.33 million shares, which was above their three months average volume of 1.91 million shares. The stock ended the session 4.19% lower at $18.06. The Company's shares have gained 10.59% over the previous three months and 30.30% on an YTD basis. The stock is trading 9.86% above its 200-day moving average. Moreover, shares of Box, which provides cloud content management platform that enables organizations of various sizes to manage their enterprise content from anywhere, have a Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 42.32.

On June 27th, 2017, Box and Microsoft Corp.announced an expanded partnership to jointly offer Box cloud content management with Azure to enterprise customers. Box will use Azure as a strategic public cloud platform, and the companies commit to shared go-to-market investments, including initiatives to co-sell the former with Azure. In addition, the partnership will enable future integration between Azure's artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities with Box's cloud content management platform. The free research report on BOX is available at: http://dailystocktracker.com/registration/?symbol=BOX

Cloudera

Palo Alto, California headquartered Cloudera Inc.'s stock closed the day 1.01% lower at $15.68 with a total trading volume of 744,491 shares. The Company's shares are trading 20.09% below their 50-day moving average. Shares of the Company, which operates a data management, machine learning, and analytics software platform in the US, Europe, and Asia, have an RSI of 31.91.

On June 13th, 2017, Cloudera announced that it was named anSD Times 100 Winnerin the Big Data & Analytics category for 2017. The SD Times 100 identifies the industry's top leaders, innovators, and influencers across a broad range of categories. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Company has been selected as a winner since the award's inception in 2013. The complimentary report on CLDR can be downloaded at: http://dailystocktracker.com/registration/?symbol=CLDR

Tableau Software

Shares in Seattle, Washington headquartered Tableau Software Inc. recorded a trading volume of 1.22 million shares, which was higher than their three months average volume of 1.20 million shares. The stock ended yesterday's trading session 3.68% lower at $61.77. The Company's shares have advanced 26.16% in the previous three months and 46.55% on an YTD basis. The stock is trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages by 2.47% and 19.51%, respectively. Furthermore, shares of Tableau Software, which provides business analytics software products, have an RSI of 48.14.

On June 01st, 2017, Tableau Software announced the general availability of Tableau 10.3.This latest release helps organizations achieve data-driven insights faster than ever through automated table and join recommendations powered by machine-learning algorithms that simplify the search for the right data for analysis. It also includes data-driven alerts to allow for proactive monitoring of key metrics. Tableau 10.3 unlocks six new data sources for rapid-fire analysis, including a new connector for extracting data from PDF documents.

On June 13th, 2017, research firm Goldman upgraded the Company's stock rating from 'Neutral' to 'Buy'. Visit us today and download our complete research report on DATA for free at: http://dailystocktracker.com/registration/?symbol=DATA

HubSpot

Cambridge, Massachusetts headquartered HubSpot Inc.'s stock finished Thursday's session 3.83% lower at $65.30. A total volume of 498,062 shares was traded, which was above their three months average volume of 457,020 shares. The Company's shares have advanced 12.20% over the previous three months and 38.94% since the start of this year. The stock is trading above its 200-day moving average by 11.10%. Additionally, shares of HubSpot, which provides a cloud-based marketing and sales software platform for businesses in the Americas, Europe, and Asia/Pacific, have an RSI of 41.97.

On June 27th, 2017, research firm SunTrust initiated a 'Buy' rating on the Company's stock, with a target price of $81 per share. Get free access to your technical report on HUBS at: http://dailystocktracker.com/registration/?symbol=HUBS

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Today's Research Report Coverage on Application Software Stocks -- Box Inc., Cloudera, Tableau Software, and ... - PR Newswire (press release)

You are here: Home / * PRESS / Software / Free Business Location Data for Use with Maptitude Mapping Software

June 28, 2017 By GISuser

NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS(USA) Point files with the locations for some of the largest U.S. businesses are now downloadable for free for Maptitude 2017.

The download includes point layers for 402 U.S. businesses, including many of the largest bank, restaurant, and retail chains. These new layers are perfect forsite location,competitive analysis,routing, andreal estatereports. The layers have company logos and can be added to any Maptitude 2017 map (more).

Maptitude includes a vast amount of business critical data at no additional cost, such asdemographics, boundaries, streets, and the most accurate ZIP Code/postal boundaries available.If you have any questions about Maptitude or data availabilitycontact Caliper.

Caliper Corporationdevelops state-of-the-artGeographic Information Systems (GIS) software. With a focus on usability,Maptitudeis designed to be a cost-effective, professionalhealthcare mapping softwareproduct. Maptitude enables organizations to leverage their location-based data to improve decision making and planning, while minimizing expenditure through competitively priced solutions.

Caliper is a privately held corporation and is a leading developer ofmapping,redistricting,transportation, andGIS software.

Maptitude issimple to use and inexpensive, but is powerful andpacked with valuable data. Ive used it for over 15 years and love it!

Filed Under: Software

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Free Business Location Data for Use with Maptitude Mapping Software - GISuser.com (press release)

Since it was announced earlier this month, iOS 11 has attracted a lot of attention. As usual, it was released to developers straight away and reaches the rest of us in the autumn.

But if you just can't wait, the iOS 11 public beta program has just gone live.

So, should you upgrade, how do you do it and what are the downsides?

I'll be taking a first look at the changes in depth soon but they include significant benefits for iPad users including a dock that looks almost like it does on a MacBook, a Files app and drag-and-drop functionality.

There are also improved features for the iPhone and iPad camera, including Long Exposure and more versatile Live Photos.

There's an updated App Store complete with snazzy new shortcut icon and indoor maps for major airports for Apple Maps.

All very jolly, but Apple warns that a beta software version isn't for just anyone.

For a start, the company recommends you should back up your device before you let it anywhere near the beta. This means that if you decide the public beta isn't for you, you can revert to this back-up then by restoring the device.

And it's best to put the software on a secondary gadget, not the iPhone you depend on every day, for instance. After all, this is beta software, not finished stuff, so some things will go wrong.

One of the benefits of joining the beta program is you get to see what's coming before anyone else, but you may find that some third-party apps don't work properly at first.

It also means that you can leave your thoughts through the Feedback Assistant app that's built into the beta.

Of course, it's free, just like the final software will be when it arrives in the autumn.

If you think it's for you, here's how to go about it.

Log in to beta.apple.com and sign up with your Apple ID. Once that's done, you can enrol your device, which is where Apple will remind you to archive an iOS backup (with instructions on how to do so).

Then you'll need to download the configuration profile, which is easily done. From the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch on to which you're going to put the beta software, go to beta.apple.com/profile where you'll find onscreen instructions.

Then just update to iOS 11 public beta by going to Settings, then General and Software Update.

Allow the gadget a while to update to its new software and then, well, enjoy the changes. Beta software changes all the time, so expect extra features to arrive, battery response to be tweaked and so on.

Once that's done, you're set. Enjoy.

See original here:
Apple iOS 11 Public Beta is now live: How to install it - The Independent