Free and Opensource Software frameworks continue to impress, astound and change the game.  Whereas it is a challenge to keep up with programming for the “cloud” and Web x.0, the amazing and ongoing development of FOSS is somehow making it easier, more extensible and easier to “grok.”  This semester, I have been working with several students on standing up an applications in Drupal and the we’ve found the depth and breadth of Drupal quite impressive.

Quickly, check out these Drupal implementations:

http://openatrium.com/ (Open Atrium – a very cool FOSS groupware)

http://mapbox.com/ (think Google Maps and Earth are cool?  think some more…)

http://groups.drupal.org/aegir-hosting-system (manage many Drupal sites to extend your part of the cloud)

In the wake of these and other frameworks, I am left wondering what the utility of “ground-up” development is for today’s CIS student.  Don’t get me wrong, a sound foundation in the logical, data and mathematical foundations of programming is imperative, but I think we should be “tilting” at the quick and rapid utilization of these FOSS frameworks oriented to accessing and co-opting the cloud.  I think of a recent Wired interview I read with Mark Zuckerberg who said something to the effect of: “I wasn’t interested in programming machines, I was interested in programming systems.”  This systems perspective is exactly what the CIS student is tuned into.

Dr. Babb