The Philosophy of Open Source

The best place for notes on the philosophy of Open Source (bar none) is Eric Raymond's Open Source Initiative. With that understanding, we provide here a few articles for further reading on the Open Source concept, and the economics of Open Source. The articles cited here may or may not reflect positions held by Penguinista.org, and some may be critical of the Open Source concept at certain points or indeed, fundamentally.

The Cathedral & The Bazaar is required reading for understanding the basic concepts and philosophy of Open Source, and is the best place to begin a serious consideration of the subject. You can read it at Eric Raymond's homepage, but we've also mirrored it locally.

A History of the Open Source Movement is also available at the Open Source Initiative's website, and includes a timeline noting siginificant dates and events.

The Origins and Future of Open Source Software -A NetAction White Paper by Nathan Newman

The Case for Government Promotion of Open Source Software - A NetAction White Paper by Mitch Stoltz

There is an Open Source Timeline at LinuxCertification.com

The Freeware Through Time timeline for open source appears at ZDnet Sm@rt Reseller

The Evolution of Linux: A Documentary

The Origins of Free and Open Source Software by Dale Dougherty at WebReview

Only the Free World can Stand Up to Microsoft - by Tom Hull, at FSF (Article Notes)

August 10, 1998 Cover Story on Open Source by Forbes Magazine

FSF/GNU Philosophy and Categories of Free and Non-Free Software

Survival of the Forkest?, article by Michelle Head at LinuxMall

Should Public Policy Support Open-Source Software? debate at American Prospect with contributions including Innovation, Regulation, and The Internet by Lawrence Lessig, and Storming the Gates by Nathan Newman.

Linux: A Bazaar at the Edge of Chaos by Ko Kuwabara in First Monday

Cooking Pot Markets: An Economic Model for the Trade in Free Goods and Services on the Internet by Rishab Aiyer Ghosh in First Monday