The Cathedral and the Bazaar

The Cathedral and the Bazaar

Author Eric S. Raymond anatomizes his successful open source project, fetchmail, as a test of some surprising theories about software engineering suggested by the history of Linux.

Publication date: 15 Jan 2001

ISBN-10: 0596001088

ISBN-13: 9780596001087

Paperback: 225 pages

Views: 18,057

Type: N/A

Publisher: O’Reilly Media, Inc.

License: n/a

Post time: 29 Oct 2004 12:15:35

The Cathedral and the Bazaar

The Cathedral and the Bazaar Author Eric S. Raymond anatomizes his successful open source project, fetchmail, as a test of some surprising theories about software engineering suggested by the history of Linux.
Tag(s): Software Libre and Open Source
Publication date: 15 Jan 2001
ISBN-10: 0596001088
ISBN-13: 9780596001087
Paperback: 225 pages
Views: 18,057
Document Type: N/A
Publisher: O’Reilly Media, Inc.
License: n/a
Post time: 29 Oct 2004 12:15:35
Book excerpts:

This is the book who had convinced the big guys on Netscape to officially join the free software movement by releasing the source code to Navigator 5.0.

In The Cathedral & the Bazaar, Eric S. Raymond anatomize his successful open source project, fetchmail, that was run as a deliberate test of some surprising theories about software engineering suggested by the history of Linux. The book discuss these theories in terms of two fundamentally different development styles, the "cathedral" model of most of the commercial world versus the "bazaar" model of the Linux world, which both models derive from opposing assumptions about the nature of the software-debugging task.

The Cathedral & the Bazaar is a must for anyone who cares about the future of the computer industry or the dynamics of the information economy. Already, billions of dollars have been made and lost based on the ideas in this book. Its conclusions will be studied, debated, and implemented for years to come. According to Bob Young, "This is Eric Raymond's great contribution to the success of the open source revolution, to the adoption of Linux-based operating systems, and to the success of open source users and the companies that supply them."

The interest in open source software development has grown enormously in the past year. This revised and expanded paperback edition includes new material on open source developments in 1999 and 2000. Raymond's clear and effective writing style accurately describing the benefits of open source software has been the key to its success.

Reviews:

Amazon.com

:) "...the book makes a series of good business cases for when opening the source code to software is appropriate and potentially profitable -- as well as maximally efficient."

Danny Yee's Book Reviews

:) "Even if one disagrees with elements of Raymond's personal ethics (and I myself side with Richard Stallman on pretty much all their points of conflict), his insightful sociological and historical analysis is separable from that."

Interviews with Eric S. Raymond:

Salon
Byte Magazine
Fast Company
Linux Weekly News
O'Reilly
 




About The Author(s)


Eric Steven Raymond, often referred to as ESR, is an American software developer, author of the widely cited 1997 essay and 1999 book The Cathedral and the Bazaar and other works, and open-source software advocate. He wrote a guidebook for the Roguelike game NetHack. In the 1990s, he edited and updated the Jargon File, currently in print as the The New Hacker's Dictionary.

Eric S. Raymond

Eric Steven Raymond, often referred to as ESR, is an American software developer, author of the widely cited 1997 essay and 1999 book The Cathedral and the Bazaar and other works, and open-source software advocate. He wrote a guidebook for the Roguelike game NetHack. In the 1990s, he edited and updated the Jargon File, currently in print as the The New Hacker's Dictionary.


Robert "Bob" Young is a serial entrepreneur who is best known for founding Red Hat Inc., the open source software company. He is also the owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He attended Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria College at the University of Toronto.

Bob Young

Robert "Bob" Young is a serial entrepreneur who is best known for founding Red Hat Inc., the open source software company. He is also the owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He attended Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria College at the University of Toronto.


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