Feb 01

CyberNotes: SWiK – Community Driven Resource for Open Source Software

Posted in: CyberNotes, Linux, Mozilla, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on May 05, 2007 by CyberNet.

CyberNotes
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Some of the best software available originates from open source projects (i.e. Linux, and Firefox) where peers contribute and review the software in development. These projects give programmers the opportunity to change programs to suit their needs which also opens the door for a lot of customization.

One way that you can keep up-to-date with Open Source software is a website called SWiK.  SWiK is a project of Sourcelabs, and they’re a community driven resource for Open Source software.  Users come and document the open-source software that they’re familiar with, and then everybody benefits from their knowledge.  SWiK relies heavily on the community, and without the users, SWiK wouldn’t exist.

It’s like Wikipedia, Del.icio.us, and Digg all mixed into one, but it’s just for anything related with Open Source projects. The great thing about SWiK is that it showcases all of the hard work that people have put into their Open Source projects. If you’re unfamiliar with Open Source projects and you’d like to find and discover new ones, this is the perfect place to start.

Swik

Features:

  • Tags are a big part of SWiK. All of their content is organized using Tags, so it’s a key element.
  • Digg-like element where people can submit stories regarding open-source software.
  • RSS: Subscribe to your favorite projects.
  • Feeds can be s

There’s not a lot of content that makes it to this site on a daily basis, maybe one or two new items per day. However this is nice because then you’re not over-whelmed with new content- it’s just enough.

Swik1

Get involved:

Getting involved at SWiK is really easy. One way is by adding an open-source project that hasn’t been added yet.  Another option is by editing already added projects with new/updated information. If you know something that hasn’t been added, add it (much like Wikipedia)!

Another important feature is the search.  If you’re looking for new projects, you can use the tag feature to search. You can also search by Tags in a cloud-view, or just use the search box.

Swik2

Wrapping it up:

While SWiK is not the most active community out there, it serves its purpose – to allow people to share information about open source projects. If you’ve come across a great project that you weren’t quite sure how to make the most of, visit SWiK and see if there’s a page for it that might give you more details.

Pages of Interest:

Visit SWiK: http://swik.net

 

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