I’ve been tinkering with Processing recently, well trying to tinker with it. The coding skills are not quite up to scratch (I am working on it though (trying to anyway), would love to program my own DV)

It’s Open Source language for specifically creating and prototyping data visualisations, the visualisations do not render in Safari or Chrome just yet (same rendering engine); however, I’m sure the community is working on it.

From the horses mouth:

Processing is a programming language, development environment, and online community that since 2001 has promoted software literacy within the visual arts. Initially created to serve as a software sketchbook and to teach fundamentals of computer programming within a visual context, Processing quickly developed into a tool for creating finished professional work as well.

Further fuelling my recent obsession for DV, @miketeasdale introduced me to the Google Chart API. It’s not quite as slick as processing but you get the idea, charts which look like the output of Google Trends and Ad-Planner.

Fun, Fun, Fun – No Sleep

I’m always impressed by the quality and quantity of open source products available. My latest discovery is Magento, an open source eCommerce platform.

With open source content management systems and eCommerce platforms of this caliber freely available, business possibilities for budding netrepreneurs are endless.

Right, off to order 400 shawls and 600 bags of Hanuman rice.

With this in mind I began to start scouring the web for a free, ahem, cough, splutter Photoshop equivalent. A single Photoshop license costs a king’s ransom and as I’m not a designer the cost is not justified.

After some exploring and playing I’ve chosen GIMP, an open source package which runs on my mac and those things called PC’s. This package is not a new name to any of us, however, the reason why I’ve chosen it is the community that surrounds it.

The package is free and the training is free too! There is a whole youtube/blog/forum community built up around GIMP and due to the package being free there are so many people talking about it and exchanging learning’s.

Other things I like about GIMP:

> It can read, open and edit psd’s
> It has RAW editing capabilities
> Lots of frequent updates

I’ve been using software off sourceforge since I was at Uni, when you’re on a budget open source gets things done cheap.

What I am now witnessing is an increase in the number of businesses adopting open source technology. Open source software and technology no longer has this geeky back room shadow hanging over it. It is reliable, slick, robust and the endorsement from smaller businesses has led to larger organisations using it for enterprise purposes.

Businesses want lean, dynamic low cost solutions, which just work and this is open source in a nut shell. How is it dynamic? Well there are a whole host of community developers working constantly to make the technologies and the programs more stable and advanced. The communities which surround around open source technologies are often quick identify to quirks and suggest product improvements.  

When Google launched Andriod Sergey Brin said that even he had used open source tools as a developer and I believe as open source technology moves forward it will only become more advanced, facilitating and fostering more creativity and great ideas from it’s users.

So where do the heritage technology providers fit in? Microsoft, Adobe and Apple have excellent products and product support but this all comes at a price. Their business models have been built on licensing fee’s and support contracts.

For software giants like this to sustain growth they will have to maintain the bedrock revenue they receive from licensing and product support, so how will they compete with open source products?

Well Tim Bray summed it up quite nicely at FOWA “monetisation on the point of value”, I believe the giants such as Microsoft and Adobe will have to focus on product support and dedicated enterprise integration.

These heritage software companies will/should move to provide their core customers (FTSE 100, Fortune 500, SME) with solutions and not just software and product support. The models need to change and essentially businesses should present heritage technology giants with real challenges and the technology providers should work to overcome these challenges with solutions using their platforms, technology and knowledge.

By now most of you are probably thinking they already do this anyway and this is true, however, these services at this point in time come at cost.

In order to compete with the growth in open source adoption the software giants will have to start providing these services for free, yes free! Businesses in time will only pay for licensing fees and continual support once solutions start working and delivering.

Skeptics may disagree with my idea and argue that tech giants have a grip on the enterprise, which is too strong. I believe this grip will fuel the emergence of a new breed of business start-ups; consultancies and support agencies who manage the seamless transition from traditional paid solutions through to open source solutions.

This new breed of support agency will analyse business environments, select appropriate open source technologies, train staff, provide support and replace bloated solutions provided by heritage technology giants.

With no licensing fees, low-cost solution development and training, the allure of open source technology is getting stronger. We are also now amidst economic recessions and because of this we are facing interesting times ahead, as businesses look for value I am keen to see how the major players diversify their offerings in to order stay competitive.

I know I’ve digressed from all things advertising within this post, however, some of the key points to note: open source technology is developed through communities, common goals and collaboration. These points should be taken into account by B2B marketers and factored into business/marketing plans.

If you’re in business to provide other businesses with products and services now is the time to think about what you’re actually delivering, how and when do your products deliver value to your clients? How and why are your prospects collaborating? How can your business contribute positively to business collaborations and communities?

For me personally open source software technology has and is still continuing to broaden my knowledge about technology and the web. Some of the communities I’m reading into revolve around the following programs and platforms: Inkscape, Freemind, WordPress, Text-pattern, Mod-X, Aptana Studio,TextWrangler, FileZilla and Firefox.

I am for now still quite happy with Mac OSX, however, when I get around to it I would like to get my Mac to dual boot into Ubuntu. With the likes of Dell and Asus shipping machines with Ubuntu, there will be more people using it and exchanging ideas about how to make it as practical as the more popular operating systems.

There is still a gap in the market! If anyone can point me in the direction of an open source, cross platform equivalent to MS Visio I would be keen to take it for a test drive.

Also taking is all about giving back and “spreading the love”. If you do use any open source technology go onto the forums, answer questions, blog, help where you can and if possible donate some money…you’re using something amazing for free!

Finally what to look forward to? I think it has to be the cloud computing / open source software mash-ups and open source apps, which facilitate collaboration in real time via the web.

(The image for this post was edited using GIMP and is a play on the Original Source brand logo)