The Cathedral & the Bazaar : Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary
Open source provides the competitive advantage in the Internet Age. According to the August Forrester Report, 56 percent of IT managers interviewed at Global 2,500 companies are already using some type of open source software in their infrastructure and another 6 percent will install it in the next two years. This revolutionary model for collaborative software development is being embraced and studied by many of the biggest players in the high-tech industry, from Sun Microsystems to IBM to Intel. The Cathedral & the Bazaar is a must for anyone who cares about the future of the computer industry or the dynamics of the information economy. Already, billions of dollars have been made and lost based on the ideas in this book. Its conclusions will be studied, debated, and implemented for years to come. According to Bob Young, "This is Eric Raymond's great contribution to the success of the open source revolution, to the adoption of Linux-based operating systems, and to the success of open source users and the companies that supply them."The interest in open source software development has grown enormously in the past year. This revised and expanded paperback edition includes new material on open source developments in 1999 and 2000. Raymond's clear and effective writing style accurately describing the benefits of open source software has been key to its success. With major vendors creating acceptance for open source within companies, independent vendors will become the open source story in 2001
1 online resource (258 pages)
9780596553968, 059655396X
1027495453
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface: Why You Should Care
Chapter 1. A Brief History of Hackerdom
Prologue: The Real Programmers
The Early Hackers
The Rise of Unix
The End of Elder Day s
The Proprietary-Unix Era
The Early Free Unixes
The Great Web Explosion
Chapter 2. The Cathedral and the Bazaar
The Cathedral and the Bazaar
The Mail Must Get Through
The Importance of Having Users
Release Early, Release Often
Many Eyeballs Tame Complexity
When Is a Rose Not a Rose?
Popclient Becomes Fetchmail
Fetchmail Grows Up. A Few More Lessons from Fetchmail
Necessary Preconditions for the Bazaar Style
The Social Context of Open-Source Software
On Management and the Maginot Line
Epilog: Netscape Embraces the Bazaar
Chapter 3. Homesteading the Noosphere
An Introductory Contradiction
The Varieties of Hacker Ideology
Promiscuous Theory, Puritan Practice
Ownership and Open Source
Locke and Land Title
The Hacker Milieu as Gift Culture
The Joy of Hacking
The Many Faces of Reputation
Ownership Rights and Reputation Incentives
The Problem of Ego
The Value of Humility. Global Implications of the Reputation-Game Model
How Fine a Gift?
Noospheric Property and the Ethology of Territory
Causes of Conflict
Project Structures and Ownership
Conflict and Conflict Resolution
Acculturation Mechanisms and the Link to Academia
Gift Outcompetes Exchange
Conclusion: From Custom to Customary Law
Questions for Further Research
Chapter 4. The Magic Cauldron
Indistinguishable from Magic
Beyond Geeks Bearing Gifts
The Manufacturing Delusion
The ''Information Wants to Be Free'' Myth
Reasons for Closing Source
Use-Value Funding Models. The Accidental Revolutionary
Phases of the Campaign
The Facts on the Ground
Into the Future
Afterword: Beyond Software?
Appendix A. How to Become a Hacker
Why This Document?
What Is a Hacker?
The Hacker Attitude
Basic Hacking Skills
Status in the Hacker Culture
The Hacker/Nerd Connection
Points for Style
Other Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Appendix B. Statistical Trends in the Fetchmail Project's Growth
Notes, Bibliography, and Acknowledgments
A Brief History of Hackerdom
The Cathedral and the Bazaar
Homesteading the Noosphere. Why Sale Value Is Problematic
Indirect Sale-Value Models
When to Be Open, When to Be Closed
Open Source as a Strategic Weapon
Open Source and Strategic Business Risk
The Business Ecology of Open Source
Coping with Success
Open R & D and the Reinvention of Patronage
Getting There from Here
Conclusion: Life After the Revolution
Afterword: Why Closing a Drivers Loses Its Vendor Money
Chapter 5. Revenge of the Hackers
Revenge of the Hackers
Beyond Brooks's Law
Memes and Mythmaking
The Road to Mountain View
The Origins of 'Open Source'
The Magic Cauldron