I'm starting to branch a Java directory of open source apps so I guess it's safe to do an announcement now... What was a ragtag site a year ago has been cleaned up and stripped down to make a much better and useful open source software site under the O'Reilly Network.
Leaving the name out of the 'article lead' in shyness, OSDir.com (aka open source directory) is now, I think, good enough to mention to this crowd.
The site sticks to the very basics of what potential open source seekers might wish to know about open source software, and we get a lot of 'seekers' being on O'ReillyNet. Name, topic (or category of use) homepage/download link and description. Pretty basic stuff with one exception, we ask people to rate the software and comment on it for the next 'seeker'.
I feel that sticking to the basics, with ratings, like this is a good idea since it allows the site to cut down on bloat of focus. It also allows us to cut out a lot (read: a lot) of cruft that reduces the chances of someone finding a useful app. We do incoming-application editing as well.
We're in a fairly unique position since the audience of the O'Reilly network is so broad and falls outside the open source crowd as well. I'd like to ask that you consider adding your applications, and favorite ones, if you haven't done so already, and ask your users to add their comments so site readers will get some 'experienced' opinions too.
I'm very proud to say that OSDir has been given the "Open Source" subject on the network and the responsibility isn't taken lightly. All feedback is taken seriously and we hope to show off the best of what you all create. OSDir has been operating under the O'ReillyNet wing for about 6 months tweaking things out while building the site up again from scratch, but let's finally call it a Grand Re-Opening.
Thanks,
Steve Mallett