OpenStack. An Open Source Cloud Initiative By RackSpace And NASA.

OpenStack. An Open Source Cloud Initiative http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
If you ever wanted to have your own cloud environment, RackSpace, together with NASA is paving the way. Vanting to promote and support interoperability in the cloud, RackSpace is releasing it's file and server code to the open source. NASA is also joining the initiative by contributing technology that goes to power its Nebula Cloud Platform.
Writing about the initiative;

OpenStack consists of two projects. The first is a fully distributed object store based on Rackspace’s Cloud Files offering called "OpenStack Object Storage". The code is available today at OpenStack.org. The second piece is a scalable compute-provisioning engine based on the NASA Nebula cloud technology and Rackspace Cloud Servers offering called "OpenStack Compute." Developers can download components of OS Compute beginning today at OpenStack.org. The first release is expected to be available later this year. So starting today, anyone can build their own cloud using the same technology that underlies two of the largest and best ones out there.

While many obstacles are falling in the way of open source, I thingk this initiative by rackspace and the consortium is something worthwhile, we have seen in a while.
I like what they had to say about openness and commitments;

• COMMITMENT #1: We are producing truly open source software. No artificial limits will be placed or performance limitations maintained. No licensing model – one free, one paid – will be introduced. We are releasing the code under the Apache 2.0 license which allows the community to do with the software as they see fit, including implement into other distributions or “for fee” offerings.
• COMMITMENT #2: We are committed to an open design process. Rackspace will provide dedicated project leads to guide the roadmap on behalf of the community. We will hold regular design summits—open to anyone—which will produce a roadmap to guide development.
• COMMITMENT #3: All development will be done in the open. We will maintain a publicly available source code repository to simplify participation.
• COMMITMENT #4: We will maintain an open community. Healthy, vibrant developer and user communities are the basis of any open source project. Most decisions will be made using a "lazy consensus" model. All processes will be documented, open and transparent.