Open Source is being trumpeted as a revolutionary way to develop software, not to mention an entirely new product category within the software industry. But what is so different about Open Source compared to how software has always been developed?

Old School code
Traditionally, industrial-strength software products are developed by established corporations driven by highly-strategic business plans and market projections. A company such as Microsoft or SAP typically has an entire development division that it staffs with multiple teams of programmers dedicated to building applications according to well-defined, systematic project plans: programming procedures, approval processes, development milestones and delivery deadlines. Often, the plans even include pre-determined schedules for future updates perpetuating the development life cycle.

Furthermore, customers of traditionally developed software do not have access to a product's "source code", that is, basic programming commands written by the original developers. Therefore, the only changes or adjustments that customers can make to the software are those that the programmers intended them to make; thus, intentionally minimizing customer control within a given application.

Open Source Software poses "a direct, short-term revenue and platform threat" 
- Microsoft internal memo

A "New School" of Software Development
But now, Open Source is in the picture--a movement dedicated to the development of software by non-coordinated groups collaborating on the creation of applications which are ultimately released to the public in an "open" fashion. Essentially, this new concept whereby developers openly publish source code is akin to a renowned chef suddenly releasing his or her secret recipe--a seemingly absurd and impractical idea.

With "software recipes" in hand, any and all programmers in the public domain can now take advantage of examining specific source code to adapt applications for their own individual or company needs. In return, these programmers contribute code improvements back into the "community" for everyone else to see and use. This cycle of give and take, based on open and continuous improvements, could potentially continue with no visible end.

The overwhelming benefit of the resulting incremental process is consistent development of increasingly better versions of software applications. In fact, Open Source programs like the Linux Operating System and the Apache Web Server are quickly gaining popularity because their functionality is, in some cases, superior to applications traditionally developed by scores of engineers housed under the roof of one corporation.

Can "free" = "better"?
The rising success of Open Source seems to contradict the common notion that it takes a high-priced development operation to create great software. But, as Linux creator Linus Torvalds argues, "free software is nearly always better... it's very simple," said Torvalds in a recent interview with Bob Cringely. "Because the software is free, there is no pressure to release it before it is really ready just to achieve some sales target. Every version of Linus is declared to be finished only when it is actually finished, which explains why it is so solid. The other reason why free software is better is because the personal reputation of the developer is attached to every release. If you are making something to give away to the world, something that represents to millions of users your philosophy of computing, you will always make it the very best product you can make. That's the reason why Linux is a success."

More than a "geek" phenomenon
But is that all there is to Open Source - a "cool" new software development? Or, is there something more buried between the lines of free source code and uncoordinated, but collaborative, software developers? Does Open Source--the software-- merely scratch the surface of what may potentially be a profoundly larger and more compelling business phenomenon bleeping on the radar of all forward-thinking managers?

Possible evidence of a bigger picture of Open Source seems apparent when you consider some of the recent activities within the marketplace:

• New companies, such as Red Hat have formed and received major investments from the likes of Intel and Netscape to cater to this new Open Source market.
  
  
• Corel, maker of WordPerfect, is porting its complete office suite of applications to Linux, an open-source-developed operating system.
  
  
• Oracle and Informix have announced plans to support Linux, and IBM will ship the most widely-used Web server, Apache-another open-source-developed software--for which it will also provide commercial, enterprise-level support.
  
  
• Microsoft, the world’s largest software company, has acknowledged Open Source software as "a direct, short-term revenue and platform threat."

There clearly is a critical need to consider Open Source from new perspectives, and that it is imperative for several key questions to be asked and answered:

• What are Open Source’s key implications for business managers?
  
  
• Is an entire "Open Source" industry forming with a plethora of real business opportunities? Or is Open Source a fad, soon to disappear?
  
  
• Will Open Source affect the organizational structure and information management of the modern enterprise?
  
  
• And, even more broadly, does Open Source signal fundamental changes for all firms, and the nature of work?
  
  

Open Source Articles & Links

The following selected articles and links all deal with the open source phenomenon. We encourage you to take some time to orient yourself with this intriguing new development.

Programs to the People
by Charles C. Mann, MIT Technology Review

Hey, everybody, let’s build an operating system! A grassroots movement of programmers is collaborating to create easy-to-use software that anyone can get for free and tinker with at will. Could an insurgent band of programmers, motivated not by profit but by the ideal of "free software," undermine Microsoft’s control of the computer desktop?
This article discusses the history of the Open Source movement and the Linux Operating System.

Open Mind, Open Source
by Tim O'Reilly, Release 1.0

At a time when Microsoft's business practices are under attack in the courts, its development and business models are under attack at home. Much as IBM's big problems two decades ago were in its business rather than in the antitrust courts, Microsoft should probably be paying more attention to Open Source than to Open Courts.

In a thorough and thought-provoking report, Tim O’Reilly takes a business perspective on Open Source and identifies some of the possible strategic models for generating revenue from this new phenomenon. The article also includes an exhaustive set of resources on Open Source.

The Cathedral and the Bazaar
by Eric S. Raymond

In one of the most influential pieces written on Open Source, Eric Raymond, co-author of The New Hacker's Dictionary," describes a world made of two competing models for developing software--the "Cathedral" and the "Bazaar". He argues that software design is best done by a community of independent developers collaborating in an atmosphere of complete openness.

Setting Up Shop: The Business of Open-Source Software
by Frank Hecker

In April 1998 , in what is now considered a seminal event in the Open Source community, Netscape released "Mozilla", the source code for its popular Navigator Web browser. But the reason for releasing the source code had nothing to do with pure altruism. It was a logical business decision. Frank Hecker, a lead systems engineer at Netscape wrote a hands-on document investigating the business of commercial open-source software that played an critical role in Netscape's final decision to set its code free.

The Road to Linux: First Blood
by Jon Katz

Jon Katz, who in a former life was Wired’s Media critic, writes a personal account of the trials and tribulations of installing, or more correctly, attempting to install Linux. Published in Slashdot, Katz’s review of the responses he received from the Linux community shed some light on just how emotional this distributed group of developers can get.

The Halloween Documents
by Eric Raymond

In the last week of October 1998, a confidential Microsoft memorandum on Redmond's strategy against Linux and Open Source software was leaked to me [Eric Raymond] by a source who shall remain nameless. I annotated this memorandum with explanation and commentary over Halloween Weekend and released it to the national press. Microsoft was forced to acknowledge its authenticity. The press rightly treated it as a major story and covered it (with varying degrees of cluefulness).

The now-infamous "Halloween Document'' contained references to a second memorandum specifically on Linux. Within days, copies of the second memo had been forwarded to me from two separate sources. I renamed the first annotated version "Halloween I'' and set about annotating the second. While not as dramatic or sinister in its implications as its predecessor, Halloween II includes a lot of material at variance with Microsoft's public party line on Linux.

This website includes all of the original "Halloween Documents" and all corresponding commentary by Eric Raymond. Additionally, the site houses an ongoing discussion thread pertaining to the topic.

Cooking pot markets: an economic model for the trade in
free goods and services on the Internet
by Rishab Aiyer Ghosh , First Monday

In this paper, Rishab Aiyer Ghosh argues that the notion of free software is not as counterintuitive as some proclaim. He offers a "Cooking-pot" model, arguing that beneath the free-for-all initiatives are some very rational economic decisions being made.

FEED Magazine's Special Issue on Open Source
by Ausint Bunn, FEED Magazine

Feed magazine's Austin Bunn does a remarkable job of lining up the key players in the Open Source game along with a few unexpected participants.

Salon Magazine's free software story
Salon Magazine

Salon Magazine's complete listing of its coverage on the Open Source phenomenon.

Slashdot

The self-proclaimed leader in "news for nerds" offers an excellent, up-to-date insider's view of Linux and the Open Source world.