It must be Open Source day today, because everyone is popping out of the woodwork to offer up the code for something shiny. The latest addition to the club is Red Hat Network, the web platform for managing Linux infrastructure.

As Jim Whitehurst — Red Hat's CEO — tells it, Open Sourcing Network Satellite Server, the code behind RHN, is par for the course: "We are open source, and everything we do is open source." By opening up the project, Red Hat will gain thousands of pairs of eyes to scout out bugs and a multitude of hands to offer new features. Whitehurst says Red Hat believes Open Source is a superior model for software development — as well as being good for the image.

According to early reports, the Open Source undertaking will be known as Spacewalk, and is expected to peacefully co-exist with Network Satellite Server, which will continue to be a subscription-based service. Interested parties can jump aboard on the Spacewalk website.