Open Source: Technology and Policy

052188103X......Page 1
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Preface......Page 11
Acknowledgments......Page 13
1 Introduction......Page 15
1.1 Why Open Source......Page 16
1.1.1 Usefulness, Cost, and Convenience......Page 17
1.1.2 Performance Characteristics......Page 19
1.1.3 Forward-looking Effects......Page 21
1.1.4 Economic Impact......Page 22
1.2 Preview......Page 25
Section i: Open Source – Internet Applications, Platforms, and Technologies......Page 33
2 Open Source Internet Application Projects......Page 35
2.1.1 WWW Development at CERN......Page 37
2.1.2 Web Development at  NCSA......Page 38
2.1.3 The Apache Fork......Page 40
2.2.1 Mosaic......Page 51
2.2.2 Netscape......Page 53
2.2.3 Firefox......Page 57
2.3 Fetchmail......Page 64
2.4 The Dual License Business Model......Page 75
2.4.1 Sendmail......Page 77
2.4.2 MySQL – Open Source and Dual Licensing......Page 78
2.4.3 Sleepycat Software and TrollTech......Page 82
2.5.1 PHP Server-Side Scripting......Page 84
2.5.2 Perl and  CPAN......Page 89
2.6 BitTorrent......Page 91
2.7 BIND......Page 92
References......Page 93
3 The Open Source Platform......Page 94
3.1.1 Unix......Page 95
3.1.2 Linux......Page 103
3.2 Windowing Systems and Desktops......Page 113
3.2.1 The X Window System......Page 114
3.2.2 Open Desktop Environments – GNOME......Page 116
3.2.3 Open Desktop Environments – KDE......Page 121
3.3 GIMP......Page 125
References......Page 132
4 Technologies Underlying Open Source Development......Page 133
4.1 Overview of  CVS......Page 134
4.2.1 Platforms and Clients......Page 138
4.2.2 Command Format......Page 139
4.2.3 Checking Out a Project From a Repository......Page 140
4.2.4 Updating a Working Copy......Page 141
4.2.5 The Diff Command......Page 143
4.2.6 The Commit Command......Page 147
4.2.7 The Log Command......Page 149
4.2.8 Recognizing Conflicts in Modifications......Page 151
4.2.9 Branches in CVS – and Forks......Page 154
4.2.10 Development Practices: Patches and Releases......Page 155
4.3 Other Version Control Systems......Page 157
4.3.1 Subversion......Page 158
4.3.2 Decentralized Systems: BitKeeper, Git, Monotone, Code Ville......Page 160
4.4 Open Source Software Development Hosting Facilities and Directories......Page 165
4.4.1 SourceForge......Page 166
4.4.3 The FSF Directory......Page 168
References......Page 169
Section ii: Social, Psychological, Legal and Economic Aspects of Open Source......Page 171
5 Demographics, Sociology, and Psychology of Open Source Development......Page 173
5.1 Scale of Open Source Development......Page 174
5.2 Demographics and Statistical Profile of Participants......Page 176
5.3 Motivation of Participants......Page 178
5.4 Group Size and Communication......Page 180
5.5 Social Psychology and Open Source......Page 182
5.5.1 Norms and Roles......Page 183
5.5.2 Interactions in Groups......Page 186
5.5.3 Human Factors in Groups......Page 189
5.6 Cognitive Psychology and Open Source......Page 195
5.6.1 Cognitive Models......Page 196
5.6.2 Cognitive Biases......Page 199
5.7 Group Problem Solving and Productivity......Page 204
5.7.1 Task Type and Group Productivity......Page 205
5.7.2 Effects of Group Characteristics......Page 210
5.8 Process Gains and Losses in Groups......Page 211
5.8.1 Process Gains and Losses......Page 212
5.8.2 Production Blocking......Page 214
5.8.3 Evaluation Apprehension and Anonymity......Page 217
5.9 The Collaborative Medium......Page 220
5.9.1 Collaborative Infrastructure......Page 221
5.9.2 Conversational Interactions......Page 227
5.9.3 Social Cues......Page 230
5.9.4 Information Richness......Page 232
References......Page 233
6 Legal Issues in Open Source......Page 236
6.1 Copyrights......Page 237
6.2 Patents......Page 242
Software Patents......Page 243
6.3 Contracts and Licenses......Page 246
6.4.1 Basics of Proprietary Licenses......Page 250
Trademarks......Page 251
6.4.2 Trade Secrets, Nondisclosure Agreements, Reverse Engineering, and Obfuscation......Page 252
6.4.3 Miscellaneous Types of Proprietary Software......Page 255
6.5 OSI – The Open Source Initiative......Page 257
6.5.1 Open Source Initiative and OSI-Certified Licenses......Page 258
OSI License Certification Criteria......Page 260
6.5.2 Illustrative Academic OSI-Certified Licenses......Page 261
6.6.1 General Public License......Page 264
Reciprocity and Copyleft......Page 267
Enforcement of the GPL......Page 268
International Enforcement......Page 270
The Next Version of the GPL: GPLv3......Page 271
6.6.2 The Lesser GPL and Derivative Works......Page 272
Derivative Works – Static and Dynamic Linking – APIs......Page 273
References......Page 275
7 The Economics of Open Source......Page 279
7.1.1 Vendor Lock-in......Page 280
7.1.2 Network Effects......Page 282
7.1.3 Total Cost of Ownership......Page 284
7.2 Open Source Business Models......Page 286
7.2.1 Dual Licensing......Page 287
7.2.2 Consulting on  OSS......Page 288
7.2.3 Providing Open Software Distributions and Services......Page 289
7.2.4 Hybrid Proprietary/open Model: Vertical Development with OSS......Page 290
7.2.5 Hybrid Proprietary/open Model: Horizontal  Arrangements......Page 291
7.3 Open Source and Commoditization......Page 295
7.4 Economic Motivations for Participation......Page 299
7.4.1 A Signaling Model for Motivation......Page 300
7.4.2 An Opportunity-cost Model Based on Geographic Differences......Page 302
References......Page 307
Section iii: Free Software: The Movement, the Public Sector, and the Future......Page 309
8.1 The GNU Project......Page 311
8.2 The Free Software Foundation......Page 316
9 Open Source in the Public Sector......Page 323
9.1 Open Source in Government and Globally......Page 324
The International Sector......Page 327
9.2 Open Source in Education......Page 330
References......Page 337
10 The Future of the Open Source Movement......Page 339
Open Source Commoditized Infrastructure......Page 341
Proprietary Mega-applications......Page 343
Vertical Synthesis of Distributed Services......Page 345
Horizontal Synthesis with Complementary Open Software......Page 346
Concluding Note......Page 347
References......Page 348
Glossary......Page 350
Subject Index......Page 365
Author Index......Page 380