OpenBRR.org is a Zagat-like site for the accumulation of ratings on the readiness of open source software for corporate use. As initially rolled out, the site contains a white paper proposing a ratings system, and some discussion forums to refine the proposal. The proposed rating system rates the corporate usability of open source software in 12 categories, including usability, quality, security, documentation and technical support. The brainchild of SpikeSource and the Carnegie Mellon West Center for Open Source Investigation, the initiative is one more signpost on the road that open source has taken from the hacker fringe into the mainstream of the technology business. And, like so many other initiatives these days, it is fundamentally about creating value by aggregating the intelligence of a networked community, so that idea too is showing its face in the corporate mainstream.
