SUNNYVALE, Calif. — VA Linux Systems (Nasdaq: LNUX), a leading provider of comprehensive Linux-based solutions, today introduced SourceForge — a major Open Source initiative that now provides over 700 open source development projects with extensive hosting and communication resources. The services are available at no cost to open source developers.

The term “open source” applies to software that can be copied, modified and distributed without any fee and with few restrictions. Popular open source software, such as the Linux operating system, is continuously maintained and improved by large communities of developers who share information, code and suggestions. The freedom to examine, modify and re-use source code helps to enhance the quality of open source software and accelerate the rate of development. SourceForge provides the tools and resources open source developers need to develop and maintain software in an Internet-based collaborative environment that provides access to projects and their histories.

“On SourceForge, developers can realize the best of both worlds: the quality and flexibility of open source software development and the extensive resources available through a well staffed, responsive application service provider,” said Dr. Larry M. Augustin, president and CEO of VA Linux Systems.

“SourceForge represents a dramatic departure from the traditional practices of proprietary software vendors, empowering software developers and users to work together to create their own future.”

Over 3000 developers from 76 countries registered on the SourceForge site during the first seven weeks of testing. SourceForge services include web server space, version control tools, communication services and other Web-based tools for open source developers, designed to provide comprehensive security and ease of use. SourceForge offers professional quality software development and management tools, including upgrades and service, at no cost to open source projects; comparable commercial packages from other providers can cost $600 to $1000 or more per user. SourceForge's user base has grown steadily at a rate of approximately 25% per week during the initial test period, largely by word of mouth.

SourceForge now hosts a wide range of tools and applications, including several components of the Linux kernel; major Internet client and server applications for chat, e-commerce, FTP, IRC, mail, news and the Web; and several business, scientific and educational applications.

“IT organizations can now benefit from broader communities of software development and testing through SourceForge, taking advantage of the quality, customizability and interoperability of open source software,” said John T. Hall, vice president of services for VA Linux Systems. “VA Linux Professional Services will extend its current offerings with services specifically designed to help customers leverage SourceForge.”

VA Linux Systems' own open source development projects, such as VACM, the VA Cluster Manager, use the SourceForge environment. Other major open source projects on SourceForge include Topaz, a project to create the next generation of the popular Perl programming language, and The Berlin Project, a next-generation graphical system for Linux and UNIX. In addition, the most exciting open source 3D graphics development projects — such as the 3dfx Glide drivers for Linux, the Direct Rendering Infrastructure (DRI) Project, and the Crystal Space 3D engine — are hosted on SourceForge. SourceForge hosts popular games for Linux as well, including the Quake source repository and Linux tools for Epic Games' “Unreal Tournament.”

SourceForge hosts open source applications for many operating systems, in addition to Linux. To date, SourceForge developers have registered projects for Linux, BSD, BeOS, Palm OS, Mac OS, and Microsoft Windows.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.