Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution

Open Sources

Voices from the Open Source Revolution

Edited by Chris DiBona, Sam Ockman, Mark Stone

280 pages

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/opensources/

Review by Jim McKeeth

Like The Cathedral & the Bazaar and Free as in Freedom, this is one of the definitive books for the Open Source revolution that is made up of essays by industry and cultural luminaries. Much likeopen source software this book also comes with greater freedom for the consumer. From the copyright page of Open Sources:

Verbatim copying and duplication is permitted in any medium provided this notice is preserved.

So feel free to read or reference the complete online text of the book. Although if you are much like me you will see the great value in actually holding the book physically in your hand as you read it cover to cover. I actually started reading the electronic version of this book first, but when I fell in love with it I ran out to get the print version so I could read it while I was away from my keyboard. As much as I love free eTexts and online magazines I many times still prefer having the physical book or magazine in my hand when I am reading it.

Many people try to evaluate the Open Source movement on a technical level. They compare the features of Linux vs. Windows XP, MS SQL Server vs. MySQL, or Apache vs. Microsoft Internet Information Server (ever notice how uncreative Microsoft's product names are?) This movement is more then a sum of the products created, irregardless of how great these products may be.

This is also more then just a movement. It is greater then all the individuals involved. It is truly a revolution. The true benefits will not be known until much further in the future. One day we will realize that the revolution is over and the world is a place changed for the better. At that time we can start to asses the true impact of this revolution.

So what does this book have to do with all that? This book is a collection of essays from the "founding fathers" of open source. Looking through the table of contents is like a who's who in Open Source, including representatives from many of the larger open source projects.

This book is more then a history lesson of open source. It offers the reader the opportunity to actually get into the heads of the individuals who are on the front lines of this revolution. As you read each of their stories you see how their contributions are a representation of themselves, the greatest gift they can give. No wonder they want their work licensed in a way to be available to as many people as possible.

To contribute to an open source project is to selflessly give of oneself. A gift of this magnitude is not something you ever want someone else to own, control or restrict. It is a gift to be shared, just like this book.

I enjoyed every chapter except "Diligence, Patience, and Humility" by Larry Wall. That chapter was interesting at first, but then I just felt like it repeated the same point over and over again. Maybe that was Larry's point: there is more then one way to do (or say) things. I am sure that other people will find this chapter to be their favorite.

If you are curious to know more about why someone would contribute to open source, or are excited about open source and just want to learn more, then this is the book for you. I am sure it is required reading at some levels at Microsoft, if not then it should be. Know your enemy.