Greetings from SolutionsLinux in Paris, France. It is now 2:30am in my local timezone - Such are the joys of "Going Global"!

The OSA has had a great first year, attracting significant membership and driving several important interoperability projects. With many of our early members being USA-based, many of our activities have been in the USA. As we continue to grow, we have recognized the need for driving more activity around the world, and we have given careful thought to how to do this in a scalable way. How can we think globally, while ensuring greater activity on a local basis? How can we better serve member companies, no matter where in the world they happen to be based?

Time differences just scratch the surface of the challenges of global coordination. Open solutions are truly a global phenomenon, with adoption increasing in most regions of the world. However those adoption patterns differ. The European public sector, for example, has been driving adoption to a greater degree than in the USA, which has been mostly private sector led. Differences in culture and business practices also affect where and how commercial open source products are adopted. This all adds up to a need for local spins on our message and methods, and a need for local people to drive activities and their relative priorities.

Early feedback from many European companies has been positive, with several prospective members indicating they would join a local chapter that would serve as a regional focal point for collective action.

We have heard the same from similar companies in Japan and other parts of the world. Indeed, by this time next year, we expect a large and vibrant European chapter, as well as new chapters in Japan and possibly other parts of Asia, and Latin America.

2008 will be a turning point year for open source solutions, with clear separation between winners and losers, as we have recently written. Many companies will figure out that "go-it-alone open source" won't be their path to success. Our goal is for the OSA to be there for them, no matter where in the world they happen to be. Vibrant chapters in key markets will be the way we make that happen.

By the way, if you're at SolutionsLinux, please stop by our session track on Tuesday afternoon!