Some people have commented on updates to Facebook & Linked in, so thought I’d author a quick post detailing what I’m up to these days. For anyone who’s wondering, as of January of this year, I am no longer at CampusEAI – I’ve chosen to join ContextWeb, an advertising network/exchange vendor based in NYC, as a Sr. Java Developer. While I was very proud of some of the work that we were able to accomplish in the development group at CampusEAI, and will greatly miss both the team and many of the community members (and hope that we keep in touch), it was time for me to move on to doing something different (and possibly spending some time with my family, and especially my kids).

So far, ContextWeb is a pretty neat place – a strong technical team focused on Agile(Scrum) and trying to do the right thing. One of the interesting challenges is the company is currently in the process of moving much of the infrastructure from an ASP.Net/SQL Server backend to a cloud-friendly, Java, OpenSource, and Hadoop backed system. While the shift has been going on for a while, it’s accelerated recently due to a number of upcoming product offerings and business requirements (in fact, see previous posts, ContextWeb is hiring Java devs). So it’s exciting in a lot of ways, both being able to go back to doing real coding and hands on development (apparently I do mostly remember what all those buttons in Eclipse do…) as well as working with a pretty good group of guys (though, some of those C# conventions drive me batty).

If anyone noticed that I finally gave in and really added banner ads to my blog, well I do now work for an online advertising exchange… (It’s definitely not because this site is making me lots of money)

I will still definitely be following what happens with Jasig, Sakai, and Kuali, and am optimistic that it’s an exciting time for those projects and communities – and will eagerly read anything Google flags for me to look at.

Don’t Stop at Gmail | The Hoya: “Georgetown has never been on the cutting edge of technology. Changes to our e-mail system and wireless service have come slowly, and the university is still in the process of revamping data security following a major security breach last semester. Here is an opportunity to cut costs without sacrificing user satisfaction, to participate in a dynamic programming project involving some of the nation’s top universities and to shake off our dependence on a for-profit vendor for support and updates. Georgetown has the chance, for once, to be in the forefront of campus technology, and this is an opportunity we can’t afford to miss.”

(Via Google.)

Post from the Georgetown school paper makes the case for transitioning from Blackboard to an Open-Source LMS, and specifically mentions Sakai

Blackboard Won:This just in

A Texas jury has found Kitchener software company Desire2Learn Inc. guilty of infringing on an American competitor’s patent.The verdict, announced this afternoon, allows Blackboard Inc. to demand a ban on sales of Desire2Learn’s products in the United States.

(Via e-Literate.)Michael F. isn’t the only one who’s speechless at this decision. The precedent this sets is uncomfortable on many levels, despite the fact that both:

1. The patent itself looks to be well on the way to being invalidated
2. I doubt Desire2Learn will have any trouble getting more Amicus motions filed for them at any subsequent trials or appeals.

Desire2Learn has reassured their customers:

With your support and that of the entire educational community, we were able to present a strong case. While we are disappointed that the jury did not agree with our position, we will continue to challenge the patent’s validity and Blackboard’s charges of infringement. We are currently evaluating our next steps.The United States Patent and Trademark office has committed to reviewing the patent. As these activities take place we will provide you updates through our patent blog at www.Desire2Learn.com\Patentinfo.

(Via Desire2Learn)First off, addressing confusion and concerns I’ve heard expressed during conversations with a number of individuals: this decision in no way implies that Sakai infringes on any Blackboard IP. Additionally, both Sakai deployers and any Commercial Affiliate you may contract with for services are explicitly mentioned under Blackboard’s previous commitments not to sue Universities and open-source.So “all” we (the Sakai Community) have directly lost is freedom of choice and a small piece of the spirit of innovation in education. While I don’t live in the right district, drafting Lessig for Congress seems like a better idea all the time. I do wonder however, if Blackboard’s previous “pledge not to sue” open-source products and affiliates might have unexpected implications.Though open-source communities seem unlikely to play the FUD game, does this mean that cautious schools may have only 2 options: Blackboard products or open source? If you’re looking to upgrade an existing LMS or deploy a system for the first time, does this affect your decision making regarding product selection?I should also take the opportunity to point out that this kind of key vulnerability is exactly why the separation of licensing from commercial relationships is such a powerful dynamic. Desire2Learn is by all accounts an excellent company, whose customers are happy. No matter how good the company behind the product, however, choosing D2L as a platform also directly binds you to the fate of a single commercial entity. A company who can fail, be sued, bought (a la WebCT, eCollege), experience a strategy shift (Be Inc.), etc.Participating in a community (or to grab a phrase from Barak Obama “a movement”) like Sakai gives you tremendous long term advantages. You can get competitive bids from multiple vendors due the huge number of commercial affiliates. You can switch vendors if you’re unhappy without having to migrate your service. If Sakai moves in a direction not aligned with local interests you can choose to create your own fork or derivative product. Finally, in the same way that diversified investments allow you to reap the rewards of the stock market while lowering your overall risk — Sakai (and other open source products like Moodle, Atutor, etc.) allow you capitalize on eLearning technology without putting all your eggs in one basket.Update: Michael Korkuska (Sakai Executive Director) blogged about the decision and it’s impact on Sakai and the industry as well.