The Stuff editors have kindly agreed to let me write about open source on stuff.co.nz. Regular postings to appear at:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/passthesource

This is quite exciting for me and will hopefully give us quite a wide audience with which to interact on open source software issues. Two posts there (only one published at this point), I have the inspiration and several topics ready to go - all I need now is time.

This time team MALAS, on "One Red Dog" took out the class. I am hoping for a free pizza for the crew at the end of this series. Hot off the press our own Grant Dalton says:

"Terrific result MALAS. 4th on line 6th on handicap. Turns out we beat Testarossa by 1s and Baileys were not over the line so they missed their shotgun start (gutted is not the word).

By my reckoning the MRX table is as follows

MRX 9002 One Red Dog - 18 / 39
MRX 9005 Bexhill - 21 / 40
MRX 9003 Bayleys - 34 / 56
MRX 9004 Loaded Hogg - 51 /65

Go the opti sailors..."

By my calculations, Saturday 7/7/7 was Catalyst's 10th birthday. Yay for us.

We are "celebrating" by organising and underwriting the New Zealand Open Source Awards. This is our way of acknowledging the importance of Free and Open Source Software in our successes to date.

Get your entries in quick, time is running out.

So the NZOSS AGM seemed to go off well. It was good to see quite a few people turn up to the Wellington meeting, log into IRC as well as get together in Auckland and Christchurch.

Some good organisation, especially from Carl who organised all the motions so they could be voted on online in the blink of an eye.

I was elected President, a result which stands despite my request for a recount. Thanks to all that took the time to participate and to vote.

Another excellent mini webstock. Main presenters Rob O'Callahan and Leigh Blackall followed by a debate in which Mark Cubey (from Radio NZ) got to wipe the floor with his opponents - and still lose.

I am full of admiration for Rob. He has come back to NZ, kept his job with the Mozilla foundation (think Firefox) and managed to persuade them to let him set up a development centre in Auckland (quietly, he is recruiting). Rob is in yr intrntz and in NZ.

One of the things about being involved in running a business is the shear disbelief you feel when people would actually come and work in your company, especially when you consider the choices out there these days. Chris Daish is a humbling example.

The New Zealand Open Source Awards was an idea he had to celebrate Catalyst's 10th anniversary. We said, "yeah, go for it". And he has. Props to Evonne for the design work.

A bunch of dingy sailors from Worser Bay took on the might of the yachting establishment last weekend. We did ok in our first outing in the "One Red Dog" MRX. Crossed the line 7th out of 21, 2nd in our class. Best of all it was huge fun.

My job is to provide ballast. I am told it is quite important.

Some great photos from the shore.

Last week the Ministry of Ed. decided not to cough up about $4million so that schools could run MSOffice on Apples. They already pay a whack to MS and felt that there were perfectly good alternatives. One principal complained can caused a stir.

I wrote an article on the background issues that appeared here at stuff.co.nz.

Text of the article below (as Stuff archives stories after a while). I didn't pick the headline:

School software stoush shows changing times

By DONALD CHRISTIE - Stuff.co.nz | Monday, 4 June 2007

NZOSS AGM takes place on 24th June. Peter Harrison is standing down as president this year. There are two candidates standing to take is place. They are Vik Olliver and Don Christie (that's me folks). Vik's work and track record is ground breaking and his Tux tattoo shows a "'til death do us part" commitment to OSS :-)

Details about each candidate from the NZOSS press release.

Vik Olliver:

Well, BarCampWellingtonNZegov to be precise.

Looks like Nat Torkington and co. have another event up their sleeves. Given his kiwifoo track record I think this will be well worth getting involved in and produce some interesting debates and outcomes.