One of the most exciting developments in the last few years has been the application of some of the core ideas of free software and open source to completely different domains. Examples include open content, open access, open data and open science.

Some people seem to think that using only Open Source software and Open Standards for data in Public Administration is, if not sufficient, a big part of realizing Open Government. Personally, I am not so sure, and I also wonder if many non-geek citizens are really ready for Open Data and Open Government. Here is a summary of a talk I just gave on this topic. What do you think?

Free/Open Source software is great for Public Administrations, but Free/Open data are even more important. Making public sector information really accessible, that is publishing online raw data in open formats and under open licenses, can both improve transparency in government and foster local economical and cultural activities.

A new programme promises to provide CRM users with large amounts of company contact data at no charge. Stuart Lauchlan examines Jigsaw's Open Data Initiative and asks whether it will change the course of the data industry.

It has been roughly a month since Tech Data launched Open Tech — an open source channel partner initiative. Why is the big distributor interested in the open source market? And how is Open Tech performing so far? I caught up with Tech Data VP Stacy Nethercoat for answers. Here's the interview.

The next Open Data Day will be Saturday, February 23, 2013. We are more keen than ever to have this not just be about hacking code, but reusing other projects and broadening the community by using data to do all sorts of things from analysis to visualizations and even just sharing an interesting insight.

The UK Open Government Licence is a key element of the Government's commitment to greater transparency. It provides a single set of terms and conditions for anyone wishing to use or license government information and removes some of the existing barriers to re-use.

MS will be submitting some of their "shared source" licenses to the OSI. This is genuinely fantastic news, as after years of FUDing us around, they finally admit that Open Source exists, is a good thing, non-cancerous, and something with which they want to get involved.

Ron Barrett selects some of his favorite open source tools for Windows administrators. All of these are great products for the IT pro that rival their commercial counterparts and come with that loveable, open-source price.