Monthly archives: January 2008


Evaluating Open Source Software: SQO-OSS Project – London 13/02/08

The British Computer Society (BCS) Open Source Specialist Group (OSSG) will be holding an event on Wednesday 13th February 2008 from 1800 hours on the SQO-OSS project about open source software quality at the BCS Central London Offices, First Floor, The Davidson Building, 5 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7HA. This open source event is of course open and free to all to attend.

Abstract
What do you know about the quality of the software you are using? A well-known conjecture in software engineering is that external quality characteristics are correlated to internal quality characteristics and thus the measurement of source code provides useful data for the assessment of its quality. Uniquely, open source software allows us to examine the actual code and perform white box testing and analysis of it. In most open source projects we can also access their version control system, mailing lists and issue databases. The SQO-OSS project is building a BSD-lisenced tool that exploits the availability of publicly accessible software data to evaluate the quality of various OSS projects.

Biography
Gergios Gousios is a researcher at the Athens University of Economics and Business. He holds a Diploma in Information and Communication Systems Engineering from the University of the Aegean and an MSc with distinction in Advanced Computer Science from the University of Manchester. He has contributed code to various open source projects and worked as independent software consultant. Currently, he is pursuing his interest in the area of virtual machines at the Athens University of Economics and Business and also managing the SQO-OSS project. His interests include operating systems, virtual machines, software architectures and software quality.

To book a place at this event please email your name to the events coordinator.

Free buffet and refreshments including wine available from around 1800 hours.

For further information please contact Paul Adams at chair@ossg.bcs.org

Map & directions: http://www.epsg.org.uk/locations/bcsss-guide.html


FAB 2008 Files and Backup Seminars – London 19-20/02/08

The UK Unix and Open Systems User Group (UKUUG) are holding FAB 2008 – File and Backup seminars in Central London on the 19th and 20th February 2008. The UKUUG Secretariat are allowing all OSSG members who wish to attend to do so at the same rate as UKUUG members.
Disk storage capacities have taken off enormously in the past few years, while user expectations of data storage have become more exacting as data is being produced at a frantic rate and the management of this data has become critical to the core functions of many organisations. This has changed the problems of data management that the system administrator has to cope with. These seminars, held in Central London, is a review of current best practice and technologies for the system administrator.

Tuesday 19th February topics include:

  • Clustering with GFS2 shared-storage file system – RedHat
  • An introduction to High Availability
  • How companies achieve High Availability
  • Secure Network Filesystems with OpenAFS – Simon Wilkinson
  • Storage at 1billion km per hour – CERN

Wednesday 20th February topics include:

  • Reliable backups without tapes
  • Orchestrating your Data Center
  • Backup and Recovery with Bacula (by it’s lead developer and founder)
  • Backup integration with filesystem snapshot capability
  • plus a session of lightning talks of experiences adn tips by attendees

Send abstracts or questions to fab@ukuug.org.

Early Bird rate (until 23rd Jan):

  • UKUUG and OSSG members: £94 inc. VAT for either day, or £164.50 for both days.
  • Non-members: £111.62 inc. VAT for either day, or £199.75 for both.

Booking: online or read our information booklet and PDF for printing .

Each seminar will start at 9:45 and finish at approximately 17:00. Delegates are invited for a complimentary ‘beer’ in the hotel bar area at the end of each day

For further information please visit : http://www.ukuug.org/events/seminars/fab/


Open Systems for Government Projects – Bournemouth 22/01/08

BCS Dorset are holding an event on Open Systems for Government Projects on Tuesday 22nd January 2008 at Bournemouth University, which looks likely to include a fair amount of open source content.  Hope to see you there! Mark Elkins, Treasurer OSSG.

Synopsis

Defence software systems have traditionally been proprietary, closed systems. However, the government is increasingly keen to utilise open systems as a means to reduce vendor lock-in and improve reusability. This talk will take a broad look at open systems for government projects, including the forces that are driving the move to open systems, comparing open system and open source routes to meet the customer’s objectives, the characteristics that make a system open, and how to achieve those characteristics in practice. Examples are drawn from recent experience within BAE Systems.

Presenter

Peter Hammond started out as a materials scientist, before changing career direction and joining BAE Systems in the late 1990s. Since then he has worked on a number of defence related systems, large and small, with particular interests in component architectures, real-time systems, and agile methods.

Venue

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Directions

The lecture theatres are near Poole House — a six storey building containing main reception. Walk past the bookshop, students union shop on the left and Barclays bank on the right. Through the doors and down the steps. The lecture theatres are on the left. There are signs to the lecture theatre, and also ‘BCS meeting this way’ signs.

Time

7.00 for 7.30 p.m. start