Briefly Noted for November 10, 2009

Google Programming Language: "Go" — Not sure if this is new or I just missed it somehow, but Google has released an open source systems programming language called “Go.” Noting that languages like Java and C++ are years (decades, even) old, the Go team aims to make the new language friendlier to today’s problems and styles of coding. Hat tip @n8agrin.

Mrs. Washington Meets Omeka — CHNM and George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens are proud to announce the launch of a new website chronicling the life of Martha Washington. The site includes a rich archive of primary sources, a biographical exhibit, and three teaching modules. In addition to being a tremendous resource in its own right, the site is a powerful example of Omeka’s capabilities.

MediaWiki How To — Lifehacker provides a step-by-step guide to customizing MediaWiki, the open source wiki platform that powers Wikipedia. The guide is written by Lifehacker founder Gina Trapani, who recently used MediaWiki to publish a “book-in-progress,” The Complete Guide to Google Wave. Useful reading for anyone thinking about self-publishing his or her next book online.

The Open Source Professor — Mark Sample has posted slides and audio for his provocative recent talk, “The Open Source Professor.” Sample’s talk is part of MITH’s excellent Digital Dialogues series.