It’s a big day for Open LMS!
It’s not often that a leader gets to write a post about a fundamental change in strategy, so it’s especially exciting for me to be able to share this news today... As you all know, the last year has been one of massive change, both for the eLearning market and for Open LMS specifically. COVID has transformed eLearning, and Open LMS has transformed our business by joining LTG and expanding both through traditional growth and through the acquisitions of eCreators and eThink Education.
Today marks the next stage of our evolution at Open LMS, and we are excited to announce we are taking our commitment to open-source software even further. Specifically, we are committing today that, by the end of the year, we will distribute via GPLv3 our core Moodle™ modules and enhancements with three very specific and limited exceptions:
- Client-Specific Customizations: Code that we have built specifically for a particular client, which they have requested we not distribute. Often clients want customizations to Moodle™ to support their proprietary business processes. We can’t and won’t betray that trust.
- SaaS Cloud Architecture and Management Components: While these are not technically Moodle™ code, we have built components that allow us to host more than 2,000 Moodle™ sites globally and at scale. This is a core part of our business, and we are the best in the world at it. It’s the foundation of our business, which will fund all of this other work that we are giving to the community.
- Data Integration Code: We have built integrations with a number of back office systems, like Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) or Student Information Systems (SIS), which are tightly tied to our architecture and are a core part of our service offerings to clients.
Outside of that, we look forward to making our Moodle™ modules and enhancements available as the year progresses. You can stay apprised of the new code drops by following the “Open LMS Open Roadmap & Suggestion Forum” in the Open LMS Community here.
We’re also excited to announce that we have decided to open-source our Learnbook platform, which we will be rebranding as Open LMS Work. Stay tuned, you’ll see a lot more code and work coming from us over the next few months!
Our goal here is similar to that of all open-source companies, to leverage an engaged community alongside our own team of developers to improve the features and components that we are releasing, and to empower both Open LMS clients and the greater eLearning community to take advantage of powerful tools that can improve the learning experience for Moodle™ and Moodle™- based software users across the globe. Additionally, we want to ensure that our clients and other eLearning professionals feel confident in their long-term ability to take advantage of these tools to support the longevity of their learning programs for years to come.
We are thrilled to be taking this step to continue providing increased value to our clients as well as the rest of the eLearning community. Open LMS has always recognized the importance of open-source solutions, which give our clients the flexibility to create tailored learning and talent management solutions. Over the months to come, we look forward to continuing to support core Moodle™ alongside the other products in the Open LMS portfolio, while pushing forward innovation around these products that we can share with the rest of the community.
We’re excited to share this next step and we encourage anyone that is interested to collaborate with us moving forward! Let us hear what enhancements you’d like to see, and feel free to submit code suggestions and ideas here. And stay tuned for what’s to come!
Phill Miller
Managing Director, Open LMS
