Yearly archives: 2014


An examination of OS Risk – 25/09/2014 London 1

The BCS OSSG is hosting a one day, multi-session event with security experts examining the current issue of the risks involved in Open Source Software.

This event should be of interest to anyone using Open Source software in a commercial environment.

The event will be held on 25th September 2014  at BCS HQ –  5 Southampton Street, London, WC2E 7HA from 9:30am to 5:00pm.

(more…)


BCS Open Source Specialist Group – Open Mic Event – 26th August 6:00pm

When : 26th August 2014, 18:00 – 20:00

Where : BCS, 1st Floor, The Davidson Building, 5 Southampton Street, London, WC2E 7HA

Price : Free and open to non-members.

Booking Link:https://events.bcs.org/book/1197/

(Registration is required)

Have you recently spotted something significant in the world of Openness?

Some significant Open Source software, Open License fonts, Open Hardware evolution, or an interesting evolution of the Open Source development process?

Open Data initiatives, Open Publishing maybe, scientific projects being Open with their data?

Come along to the Open Mic evening of the BCS Open Source Specialist Group and tell us. We have already been advised that we’ll be hearing contributions on open data and open museum contributions in the Wikipedia community, open risk and a couple of other topics.

Sign up for free (as in beer) so we can cater for you, and let us know if you intend to contribute some mic-time so we can sort out a slot for you.

Registration is essential (see booking link above), Powerpoint is not, in fact if you can speak without slides we would be grateful. The session will be audio-recorded and written up.

  1.  In the interests of the most efficient use of time, please do not assume that it will be possible to use projected presentation slides or demonstrations. We may be able to sort something out if projection is really necessary, but it is best to pretend that the Open Mic session will be conducted like a radio studio discussion.
  2.  This meeting will be audio recorded, to be shared with others either in podcast or transcript form. By registering for this event you consent to potentially being included in this recording.

If you wish to give a microtalk within this event, please answer the brief question contained within this booking process re the aspect of open you wish to talk about

 N.B. Please note that registration for this event is mandatory. Admittance will be refused if you have not registered on the BCS Booking system​.


OpenStack and the future of the Open Source Cloud – London 15/07/2014

OpenStackThe Open Source Specialist Group  (OSSG) and the Internet Specialist Group are hosting a joint meeting on OpenStack.

The even will take place at the BCS Central London Offices, First Floor, The Davidson Building, 5 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7HA between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm.

This event is free to attend for both BCS Members (without buffer; £5 for the buffet) but booking is required.

The event focuses on the emerging cloud solution being developed and distributed via the open source model. Steve Nice will talk about potential use cases, what technology this supersedes and which organisations are already making use of it. With the groundwork laid, he will then cover how we at the BCS can understand the future of Open Source cloud and how that fits into the wider technology landscape. The talk will be finished off with a live demo of the technology as he shows how to build a simple infrastructure with the OpenStack components.

(more…)


Open Source Hardware Camp 2014 – Hebden Bridge 16-17/08/2014

Open Source Hardware GroupThe Open Source Hardware Group is running a Open Source Hardware Camp in Hebden Bridge.

The event will take place between 16th August, 09:00 a.m. till 17th August, 4:00 p.m. at Hebden Bridge Town Hall, St. George’s Street, Hebden Bridge, HX7 7BY, UK [map] (53.742436, -2.012918).

Please register to attend and share on Lanyrd.

For the second year running the Open Source Hardware Camp is hosted as part of the technology festival, Wuthering Bytes.

Details of the OSHUG talks and workshops can be found below and the Wuthering Bytes website will be updated in due course with details of the complete programme of events.

(more…)


Editathon (Women In Technology) – Southampton 23/06/2014

WikipediaThe Open Source Specialist Group,  The Royal Academy of Engineering, BCSWomen, BCS Hampshire Branch and Southampton Solent University are hosting a joint event to add/update/improve Wikipedia entries of Women In Technology.

The even will take place at the Southampton Solent University, Reginald Mitchell Building, East Park Terrace, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 0RD, starting at 4 p.m..

Booking is recommended, via margaret.ross@solent.ac.uk (please put BCS Hampshire Editathon in the subject). As we are using a laboratory, there is no need to bring your own equipment.


Where’s the Money in Open Source? – Cambridge 10/07/2014

Cambridge WirelessOpen source is a growing and arguably successful strategy for making our corner of the world a better place. While altruism motivates many individuals and some companies to make things open source, others are in it for the money. On the other hand, many companies use or are forced to use, open source for its perceived cost-saving value, often disregarding its risks. So what’s the business case for open source?

Covering multi-faceted aspects of the topic, this half day event will explore the challenges and the opportunities in making money out of open source, and the various business models used. It will help those considering developing open source to understand where the value is and look at what the future might bring.

This gripping event will tackle the most pressing issues in open source today by discussing the following angles:

  • If you don’t sell the software, what can you sell? Or is it just PR and marketing?
  • Can you cash in on a reputation made in the open source world?
  • What is the price of open source?
  • Is Bitcoin the way to literally make money from open source?
  • Are there indirect benefits from developing open source, and if so, what are they?

(more…)


Teaching with the LilyPad Arduino, Raspberry Pi in education and MzTEK – London 21/05/2014

The Open Source Specialist Group (OSSG) and Open Source Hardware User Group (OSHUG) are hosting a joint meeting exploring approaches to teaching electronics and programming.

The even will take place at the BCS Central London Offices, First Floor, The Davidson Building, 5 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7HA between 5:30pm and 8:30pm.

This event is free to attend for both BCS Members and non-members but booking is required.

(more…)


Radio Pt.2 (Networking Literacy Project, Everyone has a radio in them) – 24/04/2014

The Open Source Specialist Group  (OSSG) and Open Source Hardware User Group (OSHUG) are hosting a joint meeting on Networking Literacy.

The even will take place at the BCS Central London Offices, First Floor, The Davidson Building, 5 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7HA between 6:00pm and 8:30pm.

This event is free to attend for both BCS Members and non-members but booking is required.

This meeting will feature talks on a bold vision for a project that aims to increase understanding of personal networking, and on a toolkit that lets you build your own physical Internet radio.

(more…)