I'm happy to report that the 44th article in the open source column of IEEE Computer has been published. As always, please consider writing an article proposal! Abstract This article examines the outcry over open source relicensing (the so-called “rug pull”) by vendors and argues that it is a counterproductive reaction. The relicensing of single-vendor commercial open source software is a watershed event and not necessarily one to spill tears over.

I'm happy to report that the 43nd article in the open source column of IEEE Computer has been published. As always, please consider writing an article proposal! Abstract This article discusses the evolving vendor dynamics in open source projects that create tension between vendors and cloud providers as they seek to capture value while also creating friction and disruption for users and contributors.

I'm happy to report that the 42nd article in the open source column of IEEE Computer has been published. As always, please consider writing an article proposal! Abstract Open source program offices (OSPOs) manage organizational engagement with open source software (OSS) and communities, including compliance, security, and project leadership. As modern vehicles increasingly rely on OSS, automotive OSPOs face unique technical, organizational, and governance challenges.

Having lived through the dotcom boom and bust and some minor bubbles since then, I thought I'd review the current AI bubble from this perspective. My point is not to discuss the benefits of AI in general but rather the pros and cons of the bubble it has created. I also cannot answer the question whether it really needs a greed-driven bubble to achieve these benefits, or whether a more deliberate and careful approach could achieve the same benefits.

An incomplete and emotionally compromised list. I have lived in Hong Kong for fifteen years.

Meet Count Binface: the challenger from another planet taking on Nigel Farage as questions over the Reform UK leader's finances overshadow his election comeback.

I'm happy to report that the 41th article in the open source column of IEEE Computer has been published. As always, please consider writing an article proposal! Abstract This article provides advice and resources for improving open source project sustainability through good governance practices. Keywords Open Source, Decision Making Process, Good Governance, Governance Model, Article Content, Open Source Projects, Open Source Community, Non Profit, Leadership Positions, Trademark, Governance Processes, Project Owners…

I recently participated in the opening panel (online discussion) of the German Open Source Wettbewerb (competition) for 2026. This participation had already triggered my earlier posts on open source and digital sovereignty and, less directly, on a European open source AI strategy. Now the organizers asked for a short quote to use for further marketing. Here we go! Digital sovereignty requires public-sector IT organizations to systematically build and expand expertise in the use and development of open-source software.

The spy agency's head will set out threats facing the UK and the measures she believes need to be taken to confront them on Wednesday.

Arxiv, the popular preprint server, recently decided to penalize submitters of articles that contain non-existing references, presumably hallucinated by an AI. All authors will be sent to the doghouse, not just the first author. They'll be blocked for a year from submitting new articles and will have their whole history reviewed, among other sanctions. While this new rule was generally met with support, some hapless US professor decided to publicly disagree and complain that nobody could expect him to be held responsible for the whole paper, including for fake references that other authors may have added.

Digital sovereignty is on everyone's mind these days, and open source is seen as a critical enabler. But how, and at what costs? First off, it is not just about open source code. Next to code, you also need to consider your data and where it resides. The code and the data dimension then create the space of digital sovereignty (or the lack thereof).

Nothing drives home the silliness of this early (LLM) AI frenzy better than a personal experience. Here is mine. Over twenty years ago, when I was a student at Stanford and rather poor (think six digit student loan), I was trying to make a cheese fondue for my friends. Problem was that the original ingredients were so expensive that I had to make do with what I could find at an affordable price.

I'll be on a panel at the UC Open Summit 2026 in a few hours. The moderator carved out for me the question: When should you make a COSS play? (She really liked that phrasing.) Here is my panel-size soundbite: The term "commercial open source" was coined as a marketing term by Clint Oram of SugarCRM, around 2004. SugarCRM provided their software as a commercial product, but also made it available under an open source license.

You may have followed the ONLYOFFICE vs. Euro-Office kerfuffle about commercial open source licensing. Ascensio Systems SIA, the company behind ONLYOFFICE, a Microsoft Office like office suite, makes its money by selling commercial licenses to OPENOFFICE. Like many so-called commercial open source vendors, it provides its software under an open source license but also tries to keep others from distributing their programs so that customers can only buy from them.

I'm happy to report that the 40th article in the open source column of IEEE Computer has been published. As always, please consider writing an article proposal! Abstract This article examines the evolutionary dynamics of the FreeCAD ecosystem by combining longitudinal OpenRank measurements with multidimensional collaboration network analysis, revealing a co-evolutionary pattern that supports sustained ecosystem growth Keywords Open Source, Sustainable Development, Open Source Software, Collaborative Network, Developed Model, Governance Structures, Discharge Process, Open Source Projects, Sustainable Ecosystem, Multiphysics Simulation, Single Supplier, Collaborative Activities, Modular Architecture, Collaborative Structures, Code Review, Building Information Modelling, Industrial Adoption, Topological Problems…

Based on years of experience, and a fair bit of frustration, I have some recommendations about choice of words for journalists when writing about open-source software and its role in running data centers and enabling digital sovereignty. Open-source software vs. open source solution. This is the big one. Software is an artifact (code) and a solution typically is a product by a vendor.

tl;dr The future of vibe coding is end-user programming; another label for a larger danger. For a short moment, the web was abuzz about vibe coding, where non-professionals use a code AI and other assisting tools to develop software themselves. The idea was that anyone could vibe-code and that all the practices of professional software engineering didn't really matter: You should go with the flow, accept suggestions, and the tools will fix it.

According to TMZ, actor Chuck Norris was reportedly hospitalized on Kauai following a medical emergency.