Secrets of Mashup Design

This presentation covers high level design tips for building Mashup Websites, presented to surveyors, business people and other members from the Australian Surveying and Spatial Science Institute. It profiles readers and how they interact with web pages, the technical strengths and weaknesses of mashup technologies, which leads into defining best practice for building mashup websites. You can see the full 18 minute presentation below, and at: http://cameronshorter.blip.tv/file/5068745/

A Guide to Open Source Software for Australian Government Agencies

The Australian government have released a draft of their revised Guide to Open Source Software for Australian Government Agencies. You can add comments on their blog until 15 April 2011. This guide outlines 3 principles:

1. Agencies will be required to insert a statement into any Request for Tender that they will consider open source software equally alongside proprietary software.

2. Australian Government agencies will require suppliers to consider all types of available software (including but not limited to open source software and proprietary software) when responding to agencies' procurement requests.

3. Australian Government agencies will actively participate in open source software communities and contribute back where appropriate.

Image source: http://www.mspmentor.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/open_source.gif