Websites and online tools recommended by the OSPO.
In this section
Licensing
Choose a License
“The goal of this site is to provide a starting point to help you make an informed choice by providing information on popular open source licenses in a simplified fashion…This site is not a comprehensive directory of open source licenses.”
Open Source Initiative
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is “a non-profit corporation with global scope formed to educate about and advocate for the benefits of open source and to build bridges among different constituencies in the open source community.” The OSI maintains the popular open source definition, and is generally accepted as the review and approval body for open source licenses.
Open Science
Transform to Open Science
“NASA’s Transform to Open Science (TOPS) initiative is designed to transform agencies, organizations, and communities to an inclusive culture of open science. TOPS’s first priority is to develop the infrastructure to train scientists and researchers as part of our 5-year program. The open science curriculum will introduce those beginning their open science journey to important definitions, tools, and resources; and provide participants at all levels recommendations on best practices.”
The Turing Way
“The Turing Way project is open source, open collaboration, and community-driven. We involve and support a diverse community of contributors to make data science accessible, comprehensible and effective for everyone. Our goal is to provide all the information that researchers and data scientists in academia, industry and the public sector need to ensure that the projects they work on are easy to reproduce and reuse.”
Software Sustainability
Easy steps for software sustainability:
- Add your code to a publicly available repository so others can see it, use it, or contribute to it. Contact the OSPO for a free GitHub Enterprise account.
- Add a license. Not sure which one to choose? Check out the OSPO FAQ.
- Write a README. This checklist is a great way to get started.
- Connect your ORCID ID to your GitHub account.
- Ready for next steps? Contact the OSPO.
It Takes a Village
“It Takes a Village brings together open-source programs serving cultural and scientific heritage to develop shared sustainability strategies. Our goal is to share best practices and tools with the community so that emerging programs have a solid place to start, and those which are more established can continue to assess and strengthen program sustainability.”
Good Governance Initiative
“This document introduces a methodology to implement professional management of open source software in an organization. It addresses the need to use open source software properly and fairly, safeguard the company from technical, legal and IP threats, and maximize the advantages of open source. Wherever an organization stands on these topics this document proposes guidance and ideas to move forward and make your journey a success.”
Commercialization
From Project to Profit – COSS Playbook
A playbook for starting a commercial open source business, provided as a companion to the book ‘From Project to Profit’ by Heather Meeker. At the link, the OSPO has provided annotations to the playbook where useful.
The Business of Open Source Podcast
“The Business of Open Source explores the intersection of open source technology with business goals, through conversations with experts in the open source ecosystem. The podcast covers monetizing open source, building an open source startup and how open source drives business value.”