Houston Open Source Society

The Houston Open Source Society (HOSS) is a community organization based in Houston, Texas, dedicated to promoting open source software education, development, and support. According to its official website, HOSS describes itself as "a society dedicated to promoting open source software education, development, and support," advocating collaborative coding practices, user-ownership of data and software, and digital civic engagement in the Houston metropolitan area. It is not a commercial company in the conventional sense: the organization states that it is "always flat, and free," functioning as "a voluntary community organization that functions as a democratic egalitarian collective" where "money never exchanges hands." It explicitly notes that it is "not a profit-corporation nor a 501(c)(3) non-profit," but rather "just a bunch of Houstonians from all walks of life." HOSS organizes weekly meetings that rotate to different locations around Houston. Each meeting features talks and discussions about open source projects and technologies, alongside collaborative coding sessions, classes, and opportunities to contribute to civic technology initiatives. The society's activities span several formats: lightning talks for knowledge sharing, software development classes ranging from scripting to kernel design, open source development collaboration, civic technology contributions to projects such as OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikipedia, and Wikimedia Commons, and general community building to connect developers, designers, and technology enthusiasts. The organization maintains a presence through its website and a Discord server, where members RSVP for meetings. A listed upcoming meeting on the site was scheduled for Wednesday, September 30 at 6:00 PM at the Bayland Community Center, described as a "Fifth Wednesday" gathering. The society's inclusive framing invites "hacker, programmer, student or tech enthusiast" alike to participate. As a grassroots, non-commercial collective, HOSS does not have a conventional corporate structure, ownership, or revenue model. Its identity is tied to the Houston technology community and the broader open source movement, with an emphasis on digital civic engagement and user ownership of software and data. The organization is documented in Wikidata as "an open source users group in Houston Texas."

The Houston Open Source Society (HOSS) is a grassroots community organization that emerged in Houston, Texas, to promote open source software education, development, and support. Its official website describes it as "a society dedicated to promoting open source software education, development, and support," with a mission centered on collaborative coding practices, user-ownership of data and software, and digital civic engagement in the Houston metropolitan area. The organization is documented in Wikidata as "an open source users group in Houston Texas." HOSS operates as a deliberately non-corporate entity. It states that it is "always flat, and free," functioning as "a voluntary community organization that functions as a democratic egalitarian collective" where "money never exchanges hands." It explicitly distinguishes itself from both for-profit corporations and formal 501(c)(3) non-profits, describing itself as "just a bunch of Houstonians from all walks of life." This flat, egalitarian structure shapes how the group organizes: meetings rotate to different locations each week, and participation is open to hackers, programmers, students, and tech enthusiasts alike. The society's regular programming includes weekly meetings featuring talks and discussions about open source projects and technologies, collaborative coding sessions, classes at all levels from scripting to kernel design, and opportunities to contribute to civic technology initiatives. Its civic technology focus includes contributions to OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikipedia, and Wikimedia Commons. Community building is also a core activity, fostering connections between developers, designers, and technology enthusiasts. HOSS maintains an online presence through its website and a Discord server, which members use to RSVP for meetings. A meeting listed on the site was scheduled for Wednesday, September 30 at 6:00 PM at the Bayland Community Center, described as a "Fifth Wednesday" gathering. The organization's activities are rooted in the Houston metropolitan area, and its identity is closely tied to the local technology community and the broader open source movement.

A flat, free, volunteer-run open source community organization for the Houston metropolitan area, emphasizing collaborative coding, user ownership of data and software, and digital civic engagement.

Product categories. community events · meetups

• 2021.10.05

  Reported2021.10.05

  Niantic announces acquisition of Hoss[3]Niantic宣布收购Hossgamesindustry.biz

  Niantic announced that it had acquired API software solutions developer Hoss, saying the acquisition would help expand development of its Lightship Augmented Reality Developer Kit.

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1. 1Houston Open Source Society - Tech Meetups, Socials & Coworkinghoustonopensourcesociety.com
2. 2Houston Open Source Society - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Niantic宣布收购Hossgamesindustry.biz