Study Guide

1. Basic Ideas 
• Open Source software is software for which the source is available and which doesn't have restrictive distribution terms. 
• The Open Source Definition 
• Free Software is software which gives the user the freedom to use the software as they want and modify it as they want 
• Definition of Free Software 
2. Economics 
Many people think that open source software is a bad idea because it prevents companies from making money off of their software. Quite a few companies were started in the late 1990s with Open Source Software at the core of their business model. Few have remained, yet the siren song of an Open-Source project still remains for many developers.
• Open Source as a Business Strategy 
• Justification for selling free software 
• How Red Hat Uses Open Source to Make Money 
• How Linux saved Amazon millions 
• The Open Source Case for Business
• The Open Source Case for Customers
• The Open Source Case for Hackers
• Views From Abroad: Some Thoughts on Open-Source Projects

 
3. Ethics 
So is there a significant moral or ethical reason why software should be open source? There are some convincing reasons for why open source is helpful in an educational context. Some people think that this reasoning is flawed though, and believe that proponents of free software have a skewed viewpoint. 
• Value of open source in an educational context 
• Refutations of the ethical arguments for open source
Are there ethical considerations for using Open Source software? Is having your software available to anyone a security risk? Here are several articles from both sides of this debate.
• NEW The Future of Open Source in Security
• NEW Open Source Fight Flares at Pentagon
• NEW Linux Unfit for National Security
• NEW Indian President Promotes Open Source for Defense Networks
• NEW Inadequate Security Poses National Security Threat
4. Culture 
Is Open-Source always a successful development model for all software projects? Does Open-Source Software always carry the day in terms of technical and marketing achievement. Eric S. Raymond has been the most visible cheerleader for Open-Source. However, other authors would disagree that Open-Source is always a success. Some even argue that what is sold to hackers as a "Bazaar" development model really has a high priest just like any other cathedral.
• Jamie Zawinski's comments concerning the failure of the Mozilla open-source project 
• What if you went to the bazaar and all you found was the cathedral? 
How is Open-Source changing? What new fields is it being applied to? Some suggest that Open-Source could be a boon to hardware developers. Others are meeting to share and discuss the different ways in which they are applying Open-Source.
• NEW Neil Gunton discussing often-repeated Open-Source dogma
• NEW The Myths of Open Source
• NEW The Changing Face of Open Source
• NEW University Students in Mexico Promote Free Software

 
5. The Microsoft Perspective of Open Source 
Like almost any other non-Microsoft phenomena, Open Source has been touted as something that could conceivably wrest the control of computing from Microsoft's grip. Here is a set of documents that provide a glimpse into Microsoft's perspective of Open Source.
• Halloween I - A new Development Methodology? 
• Halloween II - Linux OS Competitive Analysis: The Next Java
• Halloween III - Microsoft's reaction to the Halloween Memorandum
• Halloween IV - When Software Things Were Rotten
• <Halloween V - The FUD Begins
• Halloween VI - The Fatal Anniversary
• Microsoft Shared Source Announcement
• NEW Open Source's Threat to Microsoft is Growing