Optaros has just launched the Enterprise Open Source Directory, and it's exceptional. In some ways, it's competitive with Red Hat Exchange (RHX), but only superficially. Both provide an easy way to find and evaluate (on paper) the leading enterprise-class open source projects. RHX, however, takes it a step further and offers easy installation and post-sale support.
But Optaros' EOSD goes farther than RHX in providing a hefty inventory of open source projects to evaluate, with both its ratings and user ratings. So, if you look up Enterprise Content Management, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Operating Systems, etc., you get Optaros' studied judgment as well as the EOSD community's judgment. The ratings and information are somewhat sparse now, but will grow and improve as the site gets used.
Here's a look:
The site includes nearly 300 enterprise-class open source products/projects, all easily searchable with the ability to compare products. Optaros went through each product to review it and establish ratings based on enterprise readiness, functionality, maturity, and community. Optaros also reassessed its ratings (it had previously rated most of these), and found that it needed to adjust (with improved ratings, in most cases) the ratings for more than 70% of the ratings of previously covered projects. (~25% were adjusted down.)
This is a great addition to the open source ecosystem. Where in the proprietary world do you get this sort of transparency? You don't. Open source is about source code, but it's also about creating greater efficiencies in the buying process. Optaros' Enterprise Open Source Directory is a great addition to this.