An op ed article is a short essay that appears on the page opposite a newspaper's editorial page. Like the articles on the editorial page, op ed articles state and defend the writer's opinion on an issue of the day, usually an issue that is getting some attention in the news. Short opinion pieces are also the mainstay of today's blogosphere.
Recently, there was big news on the open source front, as the White House announced that it had converted its own web site to an open source platform -- namely, Linux and Drupal. Drupal is a content management system -- i.e., a system that simplifies the process of managing a complex web site.
The news was reported by the Associated Press and reactions to the news has been widespread:
Read one or more of these articles, most of which are positive about this news. Then write your own 1-page (no more than 300 words) opinion piece about the news and its potential impact on the free and open source software movement. Your essay should answer the question: Is the White House's move to an open source platform good for the open source software movement and the software industry?.
You will be graded on how clearly you state and defend your opinion and on whether the points you make are important and relevant to this question.