Open Source in Your Future

Saturday February 03, 2007

by Mindy Lance

The open source revolution started in the tech sector with the Linux operating system. Red Hat is the prime example, exploding the paradigm of proprietary knowledge stifling creative thinking. But open source isn’t just for computers anymore. It’s spreading to other disciplines—not necessarily ones you would expect. And the result is a new model of how we think and work together, creating one universe of collaborative learning.

Science. The BBC reports that scientists are beginning to share their patented discoveries with other scientists, circumventing the labyrinth of patent approvals. Used to be, experiments were hamstrung for years in patent disputes, but this new openness is clearing the way and speeding up the process of discovery. (Read the BBC article.)

In white-hot fields like genetics and biotechnology, timing is critical to keep science moving forward. Independent organizations like BiOS (Biological Innovation for Open Society) are working to secure free access to the latest research such as DNA sequences. BiOS is building a patent database documenting more than 1.5 million life sciences patents and hosts BioForge, an Internet-based collaboration community for biologists. (Read the Wired Article.)

Education. Teachers have believed in sharing their own lesson plans for decades, usually with younger teachers or friends in other schools. Now they’re widening the scope, using technology to open the doors even further. In some cases, school systems are even formalizing the process, encouraging collaboration through Web sites and intranets. For example, South Carolina’s Teaching, Learning, Connecting site is putting more possibilities at teachers’ fingertips while ensuring local schools follow state curriculum standards.

Of course, most teachers prefer to get the credit (if not the extra pay) for their planning and research rather than the school system. But the trend is unmistakable. Social studies teachers in Charles County, Maryland Schools are now linked with laptops and a digital curricula. Teachers all over can post and access lesson plan archives like Teachers.net. Open sharing among education professionals is fundamentally changing the classroom, thanks to technology.

The arts. New digital capabilities and the Internet are making innovation easier—and more complicated—than ever. Collaboration and idea-building have always been de rigeur in the creative arts, but the thorny issue of intellectual property often gets in the way. When a rap artist wants to include part of a song in his new hit, he has to get the rights. When an art director wants to use a Marilyn Monroe movie shot in his newspaper ad, he has to negotiate with the MM estate and the 20th Century Fox Studios until the photo eats up the entire ad budget. (Ask Capstrat creative director Todd Coats what a nightmare this was.)

But a movement called Creative Commons is bridging the gap between exclusive copyright and public domain. The idea is that artists/writers/creators can decide how their work can be used in limited ways by others. The point is not to keep the Milli Vanillis of the world from stealing songs; it’s to empower creative minds to think expansively, unhampered by legalistic hurdles. Creative Commons is pioneering a new kind of flexible licensing that will simultaneously give artists more control and more freedom.

How will open source change your industry, your job, your life? At the risk of stating the obvious, it will require you to be more open. Be prepared to shift from independent loner to accessible partner. Leave your ego at home as credit goes to the entire team. Look for inspiration and input from unexpected sources. Follow your curiosity and pay attention to concepts—and people—you might normally ignore.

This new openness is a welcome development. The world is facing problems that are acute, profound and deceptively reduced to a few words—hunger, disease, poverty, war. Considering the scope of the challenge, collaboration isn’t just the way of the future. It’s the only way we’re going to get there.