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Free and open source software (FOSS) is everywhere. It fuels the Internet, Google, Amazon, the top 500 supercomputers, Android mobile devices, cars, factories, and Pixar movies. Are you thinking about launching an open source project in your organization? Want to do it the right way? Then take this advice from the experts.

In the past several years, open source has gone mainstream. A new survey by OpenLogic shows that virtually every enterprise is using open source software. More importantly, open source code is no longer just coming in the “back door” through unsanctioned downloads by enterprises developers. Instead, open source software is being welcomed in through the front door of the enterprise as an equal or preferred alternative to proprietary, closed-source software. These new survey results confirm what many in the open source community have already observed: enterprises have clearly transitioned to a new stage in open source adoption.

Before your company makes the decision to expand into a major new market, you need to do some serious prep work. In this article, open source marketing guru Sandro Groganz offers a six-point plan to help American open source companies that are ready to open new markets in Europe.

Attendees at last month’s European Legal Network Conference represented a wide range of interests: from major players in the mobile and software industry segments to academics to free and open source software license compliance enforcers to government procurement people to law firm lawyers and so on. Needless to say, not everyone agreed on the various topics discussed, but there was a level of respect and real world practicality that persisted across the board.

The mobile market for applications is booming. Apple, Android, and many other mobile platforms are feeding a nearly insatiable demand for apps with developers struggling to keep up. Many developers are turning to open source, which can speed up development, but app developers and store owners need to be aware of the licensing responsibilities that come with distributing open source code.

Community Linux distros have become increasingly popular within the enterprise as organizations look to cut costs without compromising on functionality and reliability, but it can be tough to determine which distributions are best suited to different uses and how to approach migrations. This article will help you set criteria, ask the right questions, and narrow your options so you can make an informed decision.

Europe leads the world in open source adoption and development, so it’s no coincidence that many open source communities and vendors based in the US are interested in reaching across the Atlantic. This article explores the differences between the US and Europe and provides insight about how communities and vendors can bridge the gap to test and develop new markets within Europe.

Remember that “Think Globally, Act Locally” bumper sticker you’ve seen on hybrids and VW buses? The folks over at Mozilla have really taken the message to heart, building participatory local communities around the world. In a continuation of our occasional series on open source community building, we present a case study about scaling the localization community at Mozilla.

Despite its many benefits, many people are reluctant to try open source – often due to impressions formed early in life. In the first of an occasional series on open source community building and advocacy, we present a case study about how dedicated volunteers can create new open source allies one student and one school at a time.

There’s been a lot of commotion around Oracle’s recent $7.4 billion bid for Sun Microsystems, but what does it really mean to the open source community and Sun’s open source components — especially MySQL? In this article we’ll take a look at some of the possibilities and examine the potential impact of each on the future of open source software.