The Open Source Development Centre is a core part of the Blue Crane College. While the Blue Crane campus will be developed over time, this will be the first project to receive undivided attention, for the college as a whole will need the results!

If you don't know what Open Source is, please take a moment and look at this link:
www.opensource.org/
(opens in a new window)

Many aspects of the Blue Crane; the financial management, the administration and security systems, the Distance Learning applications, the mixed media art and science courses, will use computers and therefore will need programs. It is Blue Crane philosophy that to be independent of the industrial giants is of paramount importance if the college is going to be able to maintain an ecological and self sustainable standpoint. In the same way that growing your own food allows freedom from the supermarket and the decisions of the multinationals that control them.

Further, it is a goal of the Blue Crane to be replicable and accessible to communities without the huge resource needed to 'buy in' expensive programs or be dependent on 'third parties'.

It is also part of the Blue Crane philosophy that young people have ideas and potential to invent and develop the 'new', rather than being dependent on the 'old'. Open Source is clearly a new territory to be discovered and developed.

The Blue Crane will encourage local people who might not otherwise have the chance, to come and study this aspect of ICT, for 'communication' has an enormous amount to do with the successful development of Open Source. Developments in Open Source programming are much in demand by the multinationals and the wonderful aspect of this kind of exploration is that is open to anybody, regardless of sex and age, provided the basic tools are available to work with. These tools include communication and interaction with the Open Source development community at large.

By providing infrastructure, a sympathetic environment and 'reason' at the Blue Crane, it is hoped that people will be able to realise their potential.

The house illustrated above is situated in the middle of the Blue Crane campus and as such provides a natural centre for the computer technology and development resource. While it is a traditional house and not constructed to the ecological specifications that will govern the rest of the development of the campus, it is there and ready to go! It will act as the Blue Crane's miniature 'Silicon Valley'!

Apart from being a study centre, experts in the field of Linux and Open Source development will be invited to stay at the Blue Crane to continue their own research and projects, at the same time running workshops or/and lectures on their subject. The house will be their base.

The house itself is extremely comfortable, well appointed and self contained.
As such it will be an attractive place for people to study and for visitors to stay while contributing to the college as a whole. Residential areas will be provided for up to ten people at a time, for with this kind of work it is sometimes necessary just to 'keep going', catch a little sleep and continue, regardless of the clock. And when tired of staring at a computer monitor one can chill out in the pool and socialise over a barbecue.
Yes, this is important!

The Blue Crane Open Source Development Centre will provide an environment that is a little bit out of the ordinary. We feel that by providing this, the mind is freed from the humdrum and the mundane, which in turn is conducive to 'quantum leap' thinking.