Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software (eBook)

What is the status of the Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) revolution? Has the creation of software that can be freely used, modified, and redistributed transformed industry and society, as some predicted, or is this transformation still a work in progress? Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software brings together leading analysts and researchers to address this question, examining specific aspects of F/OSS in a way that is both scientifically rigorous and highly relevant to real-life managerial and technical concerns.The book analyzes a number of key topics: the motivation behind F/OSS-why highly skilled software developers devote large amounts of time to the creation of "e;free"e; products and services; the objective, empirically grounded evaluation of software-necessary to counter what one chapter author calls the "e;steamroller"e; of F/OSS hype; the software engineering processes and tools used in specific projects, including Apache, GNOME, and Mozilla; the economic and business models that reflect the changing relationships between users and firms, technical communities and firms, and between competitors; and legal, cultural, and social issues, including one contribution that suggests parallels between "e;open code"e; and "e;open society"e; and another that points to the need for understanding the movement's social causes and consequences.