Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
Ah February. What a short little month. But somehow? Despite all that shortness? It managed to still get chockfull of a bunch of awesome information. Sigh. Portland. You crazy startuppy town.
So what sort of goodness did the month of February hold? And how many more damn times am I going to ask a question in this post? Let’s take a look at the most popular Silicon Florist posts for February 2011 as ranked by Web and RSS traffic. Read More
Turkey day is over. Leftovers are already starting to thin. A bit. Maybe. Holiday shopping fun has begun. Christmas tunes are on the radio. How the heck did we get here already?
Well, let’s take a look back at the November that was. And see what posts you and your peers found most interesting.
Here are the top 10 Silicon Florist posts for November 2010 as ranked by Web and RSS traffic. Read More
The City of Portland is ready to test an app for the open source Android operating system. Got an Android device? Want to help the City test its app? Right this way.
[HTML1]Remember back when the City of Portland launched an iPhone app? Remember one of the first questions out of the gates? That’s right. When was the City going to offer apps on other platforms?
Well, the City of Portland has been working on those other platforms and devices. And now, they’re ready to test an app for the open source Android operating system. (Or maybe not so “open.”) Got an Android device? Want to help the City test its app? Right this way. Read More
Portland-based ShopIgniter—an open source ecommerce platform that’s betting on social media as the next big retail venue—has secured $3 million in venture capital led by Madrona Venture Group.
[HTML2]Well, well, well. Seems like today is an Ignite Portland day in more ways than one.
And it also seems that “can’t get funded in Portland” argument continues to spring leaks in 2010. First, Urban Airship found funding. And now Portland-based ShopIgniter—an open source ecommerce platform that’s betting on social media as the next big retail venue—has secured $3 million in venture capital led by Madrona Venture Group. What’s more, it says just as much that former Yahoo! Matt Compton of Madrona was so impressed, he’s decided to join ShopIgniter as the new CEO. Read More
But now, the City of Portland is getting into the game with its own iPhone app. That’s right. Citizen Reports will now let any iPhone user file reports to the City of Portland.
[HTML2]Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Portland? The town seems to like the whole iPhone thing. I mean, we’ve got iPhone users, incredibly popular iPhone app developers, and iPhone infrastructure plays that send out millions of messages. I might dare say that Portland is the de facto hub for iPhone development. (Because I say those kinds of things all of the time.)
But now, the City of Portland is getting into the game with its own iPhone app. That’s right. Citizen Reports will now let any iPhone user file reports to the City of Portland—all from the comfort of his or her multitouch screen. Read More
Well, this is the last thing I expected on this Frenetic Friday. But it seems that arguably the de facto hub of the Portland startup tech scene, CubeSpace, is unfortunately in dire straits.
While we’re still not clear on the specifics dollar amounts involved in the situation, it is clear that the folks at CubeSpace are facing eviction. Read More
We here in Portland, Oregon, like to think of our town as the de facto hub of open source and open web technologies. I mean, Linus Torvalds lives around here, so does Ward Cunningham.
And, that’s not all. We’ve got the OpenID contingent with Vidoop and JanRain, too. What’s more, Portland is home to a bunch of cool open source shops and developers. Oh, and don’t forget, we used to host RailsConf, too.
But there’s one little get-together that causes our collective open source head to swell ever so slightly. And that event is just around the corner.
OSCON 2008, the premiere open source conference, will be again gracing Portland with its presence, beginning July 21. And with it, thousands of open source types will be descending upon town. No doubt, many of them will be wondering, “What the heck am I supposed to do when I’m not in sessions?”
Have no fear, open source aficionado! There are a few activities with which you can keep yourself entertained, a handful of establishments where you can slake your thirst, and a joint or two where you can get your fill of vittles.
As you’re planning your trip to Portland, here are some links that might help:
Still feel like you need some help? Drop a comment here, or feel free to ping me on Twitter. Or look for me at OSCON. I’d be happy to answer any Portland questions for you.
Whatever your question, rest assured that Portvangelists are standing by.
Photo courtesy Matt McGee used under Creative Commons.
Much has been said about you as a user being able to use your data more intelligently—making your data portable—among Web 2.0 properties and social networks. But what about all of that data you’re creating—and own—on the corporate side of the firewall? How do we make that type of data portable?
Well, Portland-based Jive Software may be well on the path to answering that question with today’s announcement that Jive has joined the Data Portability Project.
“The benefits of data portability are not confined to consumer social networks,” said Matt Tucker, CTO, Jive. “Corporate users maintain profiles behind the firewall as well as in external communities and third party platforms, and the ability to simply and securely migrate that information as necessary will be a boon to the IT organizations of tomorrow.”
I hear you. “Data port-uh-what?” Let’s step back.
According to the Data Portability Project, “Data Portability is the option to use your personal data between trusted applications and vendors.”
Heretofore, those “applications and vendors” have dealt with data that resided in the public space with companies like Digg, Drupal, Facebook, Flickr (and by association Yahoo!), Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Netvibes, Plaxo, Six Apart, Corvallis-based Strands, and Twitter.
Porting the data relies on standardized and publicly accessible means of transferring that data from service to service, which enables one service to “listen” to another service or “scrape” the data from an existing profile.
To accomplish this, a number of open standards, formats, microformats, and protocols have been established. These include APML, FOAF, hCard, OAuth, OpenID, OPML, RDF, RSS, SIOC, the XHTML Friends Network (XFN), XRI, and XDI.
Okay, I can feel your eyes rolling back in your head. Enough alphabet soup.
What’s the big deal about Jive, a corporate-side technology, joining a group of the cool kids on the social networking scene?
In my opinion, Jive’s decision to become the first corporate-side technology company to adopt this standard is momentous and game changing.
Why? Because it shakes the very foundation of what businesses think they own.
Today, most any of you on the corporate side of the firewall have signed some form of agreement. It could be a “noncompete” or simply a contract for employment. If you’re an exempt employee, it’s generally pretty strict in terms of what the company owns.
And generally, most companies will take the opportunity to cast a wide net over your work—claiming the company owns the intellectual property for anything you create while you’re employed by the company.
Anything.
That means your IM, your email, your time on Facebook, your tweets, your voice mail, your iTunes playlist… All corporate property.
Seems a bit at odds with the way things are going, doesn’t it?
And as more and more of the “Web 2.0-esque” technologies find their way behind the corporate firewall, it’s going to seem even more and more wrong.
Even today, we’re beginning to see glimmers of the data we’re generating in public beginning to mesh with the type of data we’re generating at work. (LinkedIn anyone?)
The burgeoning workforce who lives and breathes in this brave new world will expect that the data they create is data they own and can move. And this is at direct odds with what the old school corporation thinks that the business should own.
It’s not going to be a pretty battle. But with this announcement, Jive is taking a step in the right direction—siding with the future instead of the past.
Honestly, it’s going to take a little while to figure that out. But Jive has started the ball rolling.
Jive’s latest high-profile hire, Gia Lyons, a former IBMer, understands the depth of this undertaking:
Think about all the bits and pieces of your worklife, strewn about all those different systems: HR systems, skills databases, LDAP directories, employee whitepages, LinkedIn, etc. Wouldn’t it be great if you could manage all that personal data from a single spot? It can live where it lives – I would call it data transparency, though, not data portability. This can already be accomplished by using data mapping tools in market today, but it takes some serious customization muscles to pull off, not to mention many lunches and cocktails to woo the czars in charge of all of those internal systems so they play nice.
And Jive CMO Sam Lawrence has grand plans for where this enterprise data portability might have the chance to go:
In the meantime, we’re interested in working with the Data Portability group to help contribute to these standards as well as new ones as well. Hopefully, the organization is now at a point in its evolution to proceed with formal and elected leadership, a standards body, voting process and the rest of the stuff that makes organizations successful.
Again, a vast project with which to grapple, but one whose time has potentially come.
It will be interesting to see where this one goes, and to see watch Portland’s role blossom—as the de facto hub of open source and as a growing proponent of open standards—in this new way of thinking about who owns what.
[Editor’s note: Continuing the Silicon Florist’s guest editorial series, we welcome Scott Kveton, a well-known force-of-nature in the Portland technology community. And, as you’ll see, the de facto Chamber of Commerce for the Portland startup scene.]
Image courtesy Modified Enzyme under Creative Commons
Last week was amazing. I spent most of it with Luke Sontag here in Portland, meeting with folks, spreading the good word about Vidoop and generally being in the city.
Having grown up in-and-around Portland, it’s always fun to see the reaction to everything-that-is-Portland from someone who doesn’t live here. (Oh, and the weather we had last week didn’t hurt either.)
I got a chance to talk a little bit about this at Ignite Portland 2, but I’ll say it again: This is the beginning of a fantastic renaissance period for Portland. It’s such a vibrant, eclectic, talented and diverse city with so many things going on, that it inspires the mind and spirit around every corner you turn. Even more, I think Chris Logan had it right: it’s time for Portland to step up and take its place.
There has been some talk about how “if you don’t live in the Bay Area and you’re in tech, you’re basically a wuss.”
So be it. The very last thing I want is for Portland to turn into the Bay Area or Seattle. I want it to be Portland. I want other cities to be saying “wouldn’t it be great if we were more like Portland?” I simply want Portland to come into its own in tech, in the arts, sustainability, green, etc.
But, how do we get to that point?
Well, it takes a bunch of us, it takes some time and, ironically, the city does most of the work for you.
For the past couple of years, I’ve made it a point to try to help people who are considering a move to Portland. I’ve spent countless days taking people around the city, introducing them to others in the city, and generally trying to give them a “locals’ view” of the city.
Now, the tour I take folks on covers a bit of ground and I’m seeking some input on the route. A couple of places I go to:
Where would you take a touring visitor to get a taste of Portland from a local’s point-of-view? Bear in mind, I’m not looking for just a tech-person view on this. I’m all about diversity here.
The key to all of this, and the thing that I keep in mind at all times, is serendipity. Yeah, yeah, I know. Hard to quantify, huh? Well, I’m not the cheerleader type unless I really, really believe in it. Portland I can believe in. This city, the people, the places. It’s easy.
If you’re not predisposed to drink the PDX Kool-aid, then you’re probably not the type of person I’d want here anyway. And, if you’ve ended up in my Inbox or with my phone number, odds are, there’s a reason.
I’ll put this out there; if you have a friend or colleague that is thinking about making the move to Portland I’ll offer up my time for coffee or even the full-fledged tour to introduce them to the city and the people I know. It’s just the right thing to do. And, I’d challenge you to do the same.
Again, it’s not about trying to make Portland something it’s not… it’s about embracing serendipity and helping Portland realize its potential.
P.S. – first round is always on me … đŸ™‚
Scott Kveton is a digital identity promoter, open source advocate, and Chairman of the OpenID Foundation. He has worked at Amazon, RuleSpace.com, JanRain, and MyStrands, and founded the Open Source Lab at Oregon State University. He is a regular speaker on the topic of identity and open source. Kveton currently serves as the Vice President of Open Platforms for Vidoop, a company he recently wooed to the Silicon Forest.