Challenges of the WebOpen Access

November 7, 2008Tom Feist, Webmaster & CIW E-commerce Developer Tidewater Community College

College Communicator’s Association

Overview

•Identify some popular open source apps•Define “Open” and “Open Access” (OA)•Examine why OA works (theory)•Challenges of OA (model)•Open computer networks (quick)•Discuss common OA concerns and

specific OA challenges for colleges

Open Source

•Languages and databases (PHP)•Directories (Open LDAP)•Software (OpenOffice.org, FireFox)•Operating systems (Linux)•Web software (Apache/Tomcat)•Think tanks (eclipse.org)•Hundreds more…

For Colleges• Course management

systems▫ Moodle▫ Angel Learning

(hybrid open/ proprietary)

• Flat World Knowledge: free textbooks

• Connexions: Rice University project

• iPaper: MIT “Open Education” project

What is OA?

•First, what is “open”?

SYSTEM X

OA Component Parts

•Open applications•Open devices•Open services•Open networks

Why OA?•Collaboration

▫SARS▫Hanny’s Voorwerp

•“Spirit” of education▫OA academic journals▫OA to information for

learning (MIT)•Lower costs (e.g. open

source software)•Customization

A high school teacher from the Netherlands discovered an unexplained astronomical object, named Hanney’s Voorwerp, when the public was invited to classify millions of galaxy photos in an open project sponsored by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

Why Does OA Work?

•How does open access even work in the first place?▫Norms & social organizations ▫Trust and trust networks▫Importance of diversity▫Aggregating wisdom

•How far can trust go?

Firefox Ubiquity Case

•Explanation•Est. 250,000 d/ls•As many Ubiquity

extensions as general Firefox ones

•“No security, no verification, no problem”•HUGE security concerns•Proposed solution: trust network rating

system

OA Challenges – A Model

Functionality

Privacy

Security

Freedom

Privacy•OA tipping point•How much

privacy to allow?•Privacy =

anonymity•Inversely related

to open-ness

Security

•Human nature: inherently good or evil?

•Called “sewer monitoring”

•Improperly tested code has back doors!

•Does OA deliver everything we want it to?

•OA apps are customizable, (we never have to settle)

•OA plug-ins and add-ons raise security concerns (recall Ubiquity)

Functionality

Freedom

•Freedom’s concerns▫Bandwidth▫Malware▫Ethical

•What to allow/ disallow?

•Filters, firewalls•Total freedom =

chaos = creativity

Source: www.shannonburns.com

Positive thought break

Open Source Trivia

•What country was the first in the world to launch 100% open source software in education and government?▫Hint: It was also the first country in the world to have more cellular phones than landlines…

Hint: This is a typical suburban schoolhouse…

Cambodia!

•Government and education are 100% open-source

•For Cambodia, it’s a question of resources

•One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) open source XO laptops

•433 MHz processor•No hard drive•Open networks are its

specialty •RSS news aggregator The rugged, low-power XO

laptop from OLPC is entirely open source.

XO Laptop – Built for OA

Open Computer Networks

•Definition: computer network that does not require user authentication (i.e. log in/pw)

•Unsecure (unencrypted)•Convenient•Safety = numbers

OA Concerns and Questions

•Expertise and support can be lacking•Design flaws make security holes•Are proprietary systems or OA systems a

better value?▫Hidden costs

•Will proprietary systems integrate w/open ones?

OA Challenges for Colleges

•CC: Broader constituencies (open enrollment)

•College campuses change frequently•Scarce resources (human and $)

▫Tight security policies take time to develop and even more time to maintain

▫“What’s best?” often at odds with “What’s feasible?”

Conclusion/Questions

•“Open” floor for questions•Download the podcast and PowerPoint

slides at www.tcc.edu/webservices•Learn more about my Cambodian IT

research at www.tomfeist.com