Open-Source Gnaws Its Way Into ...

Computerworld - ... the heart of Oregon's economy. And politicians in the Beaver State certainly like it. Rob Drake, the mayor of Beaverton, Ore., thinks so much of open-source software that he helped spearhead the city's $1.2 million investment in the brand-spanking-new Open Technology Business Center (OTBC), which was unveiled last week with modest fanfare, including a speech from Gov. Ted Kulongoski. The state's chief executive brags that the greater Portland area is already home to Open Source Development Labs Inc. (OSDL) and a growing handful of vendors that use Linux, PHP, MySQL and many other freely licensed technologies. "Our region's soil is rich in open-source ingredients," Kulongoski says, adding that he's "dedicated to making open technology a key factor in Oregon's economy." Stuart Cohen, OSDL's CEO, points out that Linus Torvalds, the inventor of Linux and the crown prince of the open-source movement, now calls Portland his home. LaVonne Reiner, executive director of the OTBC, says the facility will incubate "ventures in residence," fund individual research and house an open technology executive institute. She says the latter will be a partnership with a university, which will be named within two months, to teach an open-source curriculum to business leaders, consultants and lawyers. The OTBC has already lured its first venture in residence. Ryan Lucas, CEO of Stunt Computing LLC, says his company is abandoning Chesapeake, Va., for the open-source-friendly Pacific Northwest. Lucas is mum about what his new product will be, saying only to expect a bundle of hardware and software based on open-source technology. Not everyone is delighted with the OTBC, though. Russ Walker, northwest director at Citizens for a Sound Economy, an advocacy group affiliated with former Congressmen Dick Armey, Jack Kemp and other conservative Republicans, decries the city's investment in the OTBC. "It's a bad idea to let government choose winners and losers in technology. Let the market do it," Walker gripes. Some of the folks across the border in Redmond, Wash., might agree.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski