There have been several erroneous blogs on the Internet that were created by folks that have not read this study nor understand its focus. Here are a few clarifications:

1. The study is only about higher education use of open source. It does not apply to schools or K-12.

2. The report is not negative on open source - it simply reflects the "state of" based on the responses to the survey. Use of open source infrastructure (Linux, Apache, MySQL) is proceeding quite nicely in higher ed as in the commercial space. The report quantifies that progress. The also report points out that Higher Ed specific open source applications (course management systems, portals, student portfolios) have enormous interest right now. However, the average institution seems to be a long way from adopting these. The report details exactly where we are and why. This information is helpful in addressing these issues. The report also looks ahead three years to expectations for open source in higher education which are quite high.

3. Open source in higher education is much more nuanced than in the wider community. In higher ed there are "community source" efforts, which the study refers to as grant-funded. You could argue whether these are truly open source products or not. To understand the background on open source specifically in higher education we published an earlier online report that you might find useful.

4. The study was sponsored by Sun Microsystems, Unicon, and SCT. All three have been major proponents and supporters of open source in higher education. Microsoft has had no involvement. Nor has Cisco. The sponsors have had only minor editorial input to the report. The work is A-HEC independent work and if it reflects any bias, which we honestly don't think it does (since it is primarily a summary of data as opposed to an opinion piece), it is A-HEC's.

5. The research was conducted from day one under the auspices that only those who participated in the surveys and were sponsors would receive the full report. A-HEC originally had a totally open model for our research but we found that this lacked incentive for qualified participants and sponsors. So, we now have a balance of some open resources for the public and private reports for those who get involved.

6. IMS/GLC did not fund or otherwise influence this report. A-HEC is cooperating with IMS to provide this type of research to the IMS/GLC members. IMS provides a broader umbrella for these type of activities and we are exploring that avenue.

7. IMS/GLC members are not just product companies. They include higher education institutions many of whom are leaders in and supporters of open source: Indiana, Michigan, Stanford, MIT, Wisconsin, Open University, etc. IMS/GLC is all about promoting open standards and learning product innovation,

8. We have many open resources on the A-HEC site on open source and hope you will take advantage of them. In both A-HEC and IMS/GLC we will strive to make as much work as this publicly accessible as is financially viable. We feel that both organizations have already made much more original research, open specifications, etc. available than any other non-grant funded source. Your financial support and involvement will help us continue and improve these efforts.