Lit Review: Ch.3 What is Open Source and How Does it Work?

Who
 - Steve Weber

What
 - Ch.3 What is Open Source and How Does it Work?

Where
 - http://hfoss-fossrit.rhcloud.com/static/books/Weber-SuccessofOpenSource-Chap3.pdf

When
 - published in 2004

The Gist
 - The chapter talks about how open source was invented, what's special about it, and what to do to make it successful.

The Good
 - The comparison and contrast between open source and conventional software development
 - The 8 rules of open source
 - Different ways of organizing an open-source project

The Bad
 - Toooooooooo long. A thick read that could've been about more things.
 - Wish it could be more recent. It'll be interesting if it can look at Github.
 - It's a look at Open Source from an academic and more sociological standpoint. Can't say that's bad, but it's definitely not the full image.

The Questions
 - What notable examples are there where someone starts an open source project, then contributors take it away, starts its own organization, and leads to a successful project?
 - What's the ratio of profitable open source v.s. non-profit open source projects?
 - What are some Court Rulings relating to open-source? How does it impact the community?

The Review
8/10 - "One and a 3/5 thumbs up."

The chapter is a detailed and deep introduction to open source's history and present, albeit quite lengthy and dense. It did a good job explaining how and why open source works, what can make it work, and also goes into detail about licensing, organization, etc. I feel it can still show the information in a clearer way, and I wish it to have a more casual attitude instead of a scholarly paper with charts and data analysis. Overall, a solid 8.