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Open source : technology and policy
Deek F., McHugh J., Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, 2007. 382 pp. Type: Book (9780521707411)
Date Reviewed: Jun 12 2008

Open source--important, multifaceted, and fascinating--has become a significant factor in software development; its impact on society, already more than insignificant and worldwide in scope, has not yet been fully felt. So, whether you are a student, a teacher, a manager, a lawyer, a scientist, or merely an interested individual, you owe it to yourself to become acquainted with open source, to form an informed opinion about it, and to participate in the decisions that will determine its eventual role and influence on society. This book, thorough and rigorously researched, can help you get started and can point to further sources to investigate.

The premise of open source is quite similar to the premise of science: that progress and innovation are best founded on the unfettered flow of information, open to scrutiny, review, and improvement by knowledgeable self-appointed peers. The high quality and reliability found in many open-source products are somewhat unexpected, but welcome, byproducts. Like science, software has enormous potential, and can be used for noble or ignoble ends, for the improvement of the human lot, or merely for entertainment or for profit.

The term “open source,” coined to give a precise, legal definition to a specific form of software development, is often used to refer to one or more principles and practices that essentially deliver the source code, and not merely an executable copy, of a software application. Variations, nuances, principal players, organizations, processes, consequences, and future directions are described and investigated in this book, in depth and in a well-thought-out and organized manner.

After a short two-page preface and a page of acknowledgments, the book is made up of ten chapters. It concludes with a glossary, an index, and an author index. The authors do not identify their intended audience, but clearly the book can be profitably read by individuals with a wide range of experiences and interests.

Regardless of your familiarity with some of the topics presented, you are likely to find new and interesting information on points of view or perspectives you may not have fully investigated. The references at the end of many sections can be useful; they are current, and drawn from a wide range of disciplines.

I feel, though, that I must point out some shortcomings, which are by no means insurmountable: long paragraphs, often more than a page long, are not uncommon; acronyms are sometimes mentioned without definition or inclusion in the index; index entries are incomplete, so that a term or topic can be found in more places than shown in the index; and sometimes the main entry, where a term is defined or discussed at length, is missing from the index.

However, the authors clearly love their subject and know it well. They approach it from different directions, so that while one part may not appeal a great deal to a given reader, others will. Coverage is intended to be sedulously, academically even handed, so perhaps it is my reading rather than their intention that detects enthusiasm in the writing. I enjoyed reading this book, and I have no hesitation in recommending it, particularly for college courses about computers and society. Managers, software developers, entrepreneurs, and academic libraries will also benefit from it.

Reviewer:  Edgar R. Chavez Review #: CR135715 (0904-0349)
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