On the Sustainability of Open Source Projects: Lessons Learnt from Cyberdam;
Presentation at Online Educa Berlin – 3 december 2009; Pieter van der Hijden MSc (pvdh@sofos.nl); Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation LawOnline) (www.rechtenonline.nl) & Sofos Consultancy (www.sofos.nl), The Netherlands
Beyond the EU: DORA and NIS 2 Directive's Global Impact
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On the Sustainability of Open Source Projects: Lessons Learnt from Cyberdam
1. On the Sustainability of Open Source Projects: Lessons Learnt from Cyberdam Pieter van der Hijden MSc ( [email_address] ) Stichting RechtenOnline ( www.rechtenonline.nl ) Sofos Consultancy ( www.sofos.nl ) ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2009
On the Sustainability of Open Source Projects: Lessons Learnt from Cyberdam Pieter van der Hijden MSc (pvdh@sofos.nl) (Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation LawOnline) (www.rechtenonline.nl) & Sofos Consultancy (www.sofos.nl), The Netherlands) <<< INSERT FIGURE 1 HERE>>>
Cyberdam Cyberdam is a Virtual Learning Environment for online role playing games in the context of a 2D virtual city. It is owned by Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation LawOnline, The Netherlands) and is available as a free and open source package. Initially aiming at law schools, Cyberdam developed into a product for education and training in many higher education programmes. Cyberdam offers its participants authentic learning situations consisting of roles, a given case or problem, instructions and directions, and a virtual city with background information. The participants play different roles and try to bring the problem to an acceptable solution. This all takes place via the Internet. <<<INSRT FIGURE 2 HERE>>> At the moment, the Cyberdam Software comes with 20+ ready-made games (English and Dutch), various virtual cities and English and Dutch system languages. Teachers can start and facilitate game sessions based on ready-made games, adapt the games to their wishes or create new games from scratch. This presentation describes the development of the current Cyberdam open source product and the lessons learnt from it. It describes the Cyberdam story in four stages: creation, survival, growing up and independence.
Cyberdam Cyberdam is a Virtual Learning Environment for online role playing games in the context of a 2D virtual city. It is owned by Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation LawOnline, The Netherlands) and is available as a free and open source package. Initially aiming at law schools, Cyberdam developed into a product for education and training in many higher education programmes. Cyberdam offers its participants authentic learning situations consisting of roles, a given case or problem, instructions and directions, and a virtual city with background information. The participants play different roles and try to bring the problem to an acceptable solution. This all takes place via the Internet. <<<INSRT FIGURE 2 HERE>>> At the moment, the Cyberdam Software comes with 20+ ready-made games (English and Dutch), various virtual cities and English and Dutch system languages. Teachers can start and facilitate game sessions based on ready-made games, adapt the games to their wishes or create new games from scratch. This presentation describes the development of the current Cyberdam open source product and the lessons learnt from it. It describes the Cyberdam story in four stages: creation, survival, growing up and independence.
Cyberdam Cyberdam is a Virtual Learning Environment for online role playing games in the context of a 2D virtual city. It is owned by Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation LawOnline, The Netherlands) and is available as a free and open source package. Initially aiming at law schools, Cyberdam developed into a product for education and training in many higher education programmes. Cyberdam offers its participants authentic learning situations consisting of roles, a given case or problem, instructions and directions, and a virtual city with background information. The participants play different roles and try to bring the problem to an acceptable solution. This all takes place via the Internet. <<<INSRT FIGURE 2 HERE>>> At the moment, the Cyberdam Software comes with 20+ ready-made games (English and Dutch), various virtual cities and English and Dutch system languages. Teachers can start and facilitate game sessions based on ready-made games, adapt the games to their wishes or create new games from scratch. This presentation describes the development of the current Cyberdam open source product and the lessons learnt from it. It describes the Cyberdam story in four stages: creation, survival, growing up and independence.
Cyberdam Cyberdam is a Virtual Learning Environment for online role playing games in the context of a 2D virtual city. It is owned by Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation LawOnline, The Netherlands) and is available as a free and open source package. Initially aiming at law schools, Cyberdam developed into a product for education and training in many higher education programmes. Cyberdam offers its participants authentic learning situations consisting of roles, a given case or problem, instructions and directions, and a virtual city with background information. The participants play different roles and try to bring the problem to an acceptable solution. This all takes place via the Internet. <<<INSRT FIGURE 2 HERE>>> At the moment, the Cyberdam Software comes with 20+ ready-made games (English and Dutch), various virtual cities and English and Dutch system languages. Teachers can start and facilitate game sessions based on ready-made games, adapt the games to their wishes or create new games from scratch. This presentation describes the development of the current Cyberdam open source product and the lessons learnt from it. It describes the Cyberdam story in four stages: creation, survival, growing up and independence.
Cyberdam Cyberdam is a Virtual Learning Environment for online role playing games in the context of a 2D virtual city. It is owned by Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation LawOnline, The Netherlands) and is available as a free and open source package. Initially aiming at law schools, Cyberdam developed into a product for education and training in many higher education programmes. Cyberdam offers its participants authentic learning situations consisting of roles, a given case or problem, instructions and directions, and a virtual city with background information. The participants play different roles and try to bring the problem to an acceptable solution. This all takes place via the Internet. <<<INSRT FIGURE 2 HERE>>> At the moment, the Cyberdam Software comes with 20+ ready-made games (English and Dutch), various virtual cities and English and Dutch system languages. Teachers can start and facilitate game sessions based on ready-made games, adapt the games to their wishes or create new games from scratch. This presentation describes the development of the current Cyberdam open source product and the lessons learnt from it. It describes the Cyberdam story in four stages: creation, survival, growing up and independence.
Cyberdam Cyberdam is a Virtual Learning Environment for online role playing games in the context of a 2D virtual city. It is owned by Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation LawOnline, The Netherlands) and is available as a free and open source package. Initially aiming at law schools, Cyberdam developed into a product for education and training in many higher education programmes. Cyberdam offers its participants authentic learning situations consisting of roles, a given case or problem, instructions and directions, and a virtual city with background information. The participants play different roles and try to bring the problem to an acceptable solution. This all takes place via the Internet. <<<INSRT FIGURE 2 HERE>>> At the moment, the Cyberdam Software comes with 20+ ready-made games (English and Dutch), various virtual cities and English and Dutch system languages. Teachers can start and facilitate game sessions based on ready-made games, adapt the games to their wishes or create new games from scratch. This presentation describes the development of the current Cyberdam open source product and the lessons learnt from it. It describes the Cyberdam story in four stages: creation, survival, growing up and independence.
Cyberdam Cyberdam is a Virtual Learning Environment for online role playing games in the context of a 2D virtual city. It is owned by Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation LawOnline, The Netherlands) and is available as a free and open source package. Initially aiming at law schools, Cyberdam developed into a product for education and training in many higher education programmes. Cyberdam offers its participants authentic learning situations consisting of roles, a given case or problem, instructions and directions, and a virtual city with background information. The participants play different roles and try to bring the problem to an acceptable solution. This all takes place via the Internet. <<<INSRT FIGURE 2 HERE>>> At the moment, the Cyberdam Software comes with 20+ ready-made games (English and Dutch), various virtual cities and English and Dutch system languages. Teachers can start and facilitate game sessions based on ready-made games, adapt the games to their wishes or create new games from scratch. This presentation describes the development of the current Cyberdam open source product and the lessons learnt from it. It describes the Cyberdam story in four stages: creation, survival, growing up and independence.
Stage-1: Creation The Cyberdam story starts in 2003 as twinning project Sieberdam/ROCS, a combination of an interactive city map (Sieberdam) and a role playing game engine (ROCS). Since 2007 the name Cyberdam is used for the whole. The original projects were funded by a programme of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs that aimed at introducing ICT in Dutch law schools where it was almost absent at that time.
Stage-1: Creation The Cyberdam story starts in 2003 as twinning project Sieberdam/ROCS, a combination of an interactive city map (Sieberdam) and a role playing game engine (ROCS). Since 2007 the name Cyberdam is used for the whole. The original projects were funded by a programme of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs that aimed at introducing ICT in Dutch law schools where it was almost absent at that time.
Stage-1: Creation The Cyberdam story starts in 2003 as twinning project Sieberdam/ROCS, a combination of an interactive city map (Sieberdam) and a role playing game engine (ROCS). Since 2007 the name Cyberdam is used for the whole. The original projects were funded by a programme of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs that aimed at introducing ICT in Dutch law schools where it was almost absent at that time.
Stage-2: Survival From 2005 government funding was over. The newly established Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation Law Online) became the owner of Cyberdam. With a very limited budget it tried to keep the system alive, i.e. have it hosted, get support from an OpenACS programmer when necessary and organise help for users. It further tried to attract new interested parties to use the system.
Stage-2: Survival From 2005 government funding was over. The newly established Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation Law Online) became the owner of Cyberdam. With a very limited budget it tried to keep the system alive, i.e. have it hosted, get support from an OpenACS programmer when necessary and organise help for users. It further tried to attract new interested parties to use the system.
Stage-2: Survival From 2005 government funding was over. The newly established Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation Law Online) became the owner of Cyberdam. With a very limited budget it tried to keep the system alive, i.e. have it hosted, get support from an OpenACS programmer when necessary and organise help for users. It further tried to attract new interested parties to use the system.
Stage-3: Growing up The Cyberdam story accelerates in 2007 when Dutch government hold a competition on developing serious games for higher education. The Foundation formed an ad hoc consortium with some higher education institutes, an educational publisher and a commercial game developer. This consortium won one of the prices which resulted in a new project that lasted until November 1st 2009.
Stage-3: Growing up The Cyberdam story accelerates in 2007 when Dutch government hold a competition on developing serious games for higher education. The Foundation formed an ad hoc consortium with some higher education institutes, an educational publisher and a commercial game developer. This consortium won one of the prices which resulted in a new project that lasted until November 1st 2009.
Stage-3: Growing up The Cyberdam story accelerates in 2007 when Dutch government hold a competition on developing serious games for higher education. The Foundation formed an ad hoc consortium with some higher education institutes, an educational publisher and a commercial game developer. This consortium won one of the prices which resulted in a new project that lasted until November 1st 2009.
Stage-4: Independence Since November 1st 2009, Cyberdam reached a new stage in its development: (financial) independence. It now has to generate its own income to cover its costs. Instead of the earlier consortium a new system of public and private partners has been put in place.
Stage-4: Independence Since November 1st 2009, Cyberdam reached a new stage in its development: (financial) independence. It now has to generate its own income to cover its costs. Instead of the earlier consortium a new system of public and private partners has been put in place.
Stage-4: Independence Since November 1st 2009, Cyberdam reached a new stage in its development: (financial) independence. It now has to generate its own income to cover its costs. Instead of the earlier consortium a new system of public and private partners has been put in place.
Conclusion We presented our search for an adequate and sustainable business model. The Cyberdam organization grew up from naive expectations about open source communities programming for free, escaped from being &quot;kidnapped&quot; by a commercial publisher, learnt from experiences of other open source projects and ultimately found its own way. During the creation stage, Cyberdam had a strong idealistic view where a realistic view would have been more adequate. During the survival stage, Cyberdam was product oriented, instead of market oriented. It accommodated projects that passed, while it could better have searched for itself for promising projects. During the growing-up stage, Cyberdam met partners who expected millions of dollars in return of a modest contribution. They should be be avoided. Passion for learning should be their nature. And finally, during the independence stage, although more mature, the Cyberdam organization is still very modest. Given the richness of the product and the interest in the market, it is time for a more assertive course.
Conclusion We presented our search for an adequate and sustainable business model. The Cyberdam organization grew up from naive expectations about open source communities programming for free, escaped from being &quot;kidnapped&quot; by a commercial publisher, learnt from experiences of other open source projects and ultimately found its own way. During the creation stage, Cyberdam had a strong idealistic view where a realistic view would have been more adequate. During the survival stage, Cyberdam was product oriented, instead of market oriented. It accommodated projects that passed, while it could better have searched for itself for promising projects. During the growing-up stage, Cyberdam met partners who expected millions of dollars in return of a modest contribution. They should be be avoided. Passion for learning should be their nature. And finally, during the independence stage, although more mature, the Cyberdam organization is still very modest. Given the richness of the product and the interest in the market, it is time for a more assertive course.
Acknowledgements The Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation Law Online) is the owner of Cyberdam. The pfficial name of the 2007-2009 project was Learning in a Virtual World. It was sponsored by the Dutch Government programme M&ICT (social sectors & ICT).
References Enabling Teachers in Higher Education to Develop their Own Simulations: The Virtual City of Cyberdam; Pieter van der Hijden MSc, Stichting RechtenOnline (Foundation Law Online) & Sofos Consultancy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Presentation at Online Educa 2007.
Websites Cyberdam Support Site: http://www.cyberdam.nl.