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alexander0's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a piece of history and an introduction to a culture that (if you're interested in real "hacker culture" and online culture) is not explained at its technological, economic, and social origins as well in any other text that I've seen. No more explanations are necessary. If you are interested in how born-web-native culture works, this is where you start.
oddrop's review
4.0
The book is an exploration into the world of Open Source, and the culture that goes with it. It goes beyond the definitions and the initial perception and instead gives an inside view of a universe of hackers, magic cauldrons, bazaars and John Locke.
Open Source is nothing more than a development methodology, with its own sets of rules and principles. The difference from other methodologies is that the developers are not working in close approximation to each other. They are exclusively communicating through the internet. Though for some reason Open Source has become so much more. It is something more resembling a dogmatic approach to software development that by shear force of nature gathers engaged communities, tying them together tighter than most other communities, and included with them are their own social hierarchies formed based on recognition for produced work.
These communities are together creating a digital noosphere. Places where ideas and systems and ideas of systems, mingle and crash together to make free and open software. This cultural phenomenon is enabled by the developed connectedness that has come with the internet. In its early days in the 70s- with ARPANET, through the 80s and into the crazy 90s where Open Source became into its own as a great force for both disruption and innovation.
I think that open source will be more prevalent in the future, and this book is a great introduction into, the all too frequently used as a buzzword, Open Source. The book is interesting for anyone how is inclined to delve deeper into the world of Open Source, and it will give you a deeper perspective than usually comes when new technology is explained to the uninitiated.
Open Source is nothing more than a development methodology, with its own sets of rules and principles. The difference from other methodologies is that the developers are not working in close approximation to each other. They are exclusively communicating through the internet. Though for some reason Open Source has become so much more. It is something more resembling a dogmatic approach to software development that by shear force of nature gathers engaged communities, tying them together tighter than most other communities, and included with them are their own social hierarchies formed based on recognition for produced work.
These communities are together creating a digital noosphere. Places where ideas and systems and ideas of systems, mingle and crash together to make free and open software. This cultural phenomenon is enabled by the developed connectedness that has come with the internet. In its early days in the 70s- with ARPANET, through the 80s and into the crazy 90s where Open Source became into its own as a great force for both disruption and innovation.
I think that open source will be more prevalent in the future, and this book is a great introduction into, the all too frequently used as a buzzword, Open Source. The book is interesting for anyone how is inclined to delve deeper into the world of Open Source, and it will give you a deeper perspective than usually comes when new technology is explained to the uninitiated.
simonvv's review against another edition
This book made me understand Open source development, sharing of code to build something greater. One of best books read on Software engineering
It is based on intrinsic motivation, and exponential commitment. I found the critique against brooks law interesting as well.
Who should read this?
- You are interested in collaborating in big codebases
- Interested in understanding bigger collective processes
- Fans of distributed systems
It is based on intrinsic motivation, and exponential commitment. I found the critique against brooks law interesting as well.
Who should read this?
- You are interested in collaborating in big codebases
- Interested in understanding bigger collective processes
- Fans of distributed systems
sundance's review
4.0
The Cathedral - Build from One plan. Don't adapt. Takes a long time and a lot of resources. Corporate.
The Bazaar - More people benefiting and participating in it. Adapts. Doesn't take a long time or a lot of resources. Entrepreneurship.
The Bazaar - More people benefiting and participating in it. Adapts. Doesn't take a long time or a lot of resources. Entrepreneurship.
garyboland's review
4.0
Good essay on the strengths of open source development. Also some worthy recommendations in the bibliography e.g. 'psychology of computer programming'
rprimrose's review
0.25
Have a read of https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Eric_S._Raymond and think if you really want to read anything written by him.
tdrapeau's review
4.0
A bit dense, but overall a good exploration of the history and art of hackerdom. Some of the predictions, such as the rise of Linux and the open source movement, rang very true. Windows, alas, has managed to hold on, much to the author's chagrin, I'd imagine.
ryanjjung's review
4.0
Although outdated slightly in example, The Cathedral and the Bazaar is still an extremely relevant comparison of the traditional managed approach to software development and the loosely organized, passionately driven approach taken by the open source community. It is frequently a lambasting of the former (the cathedral) and always a proponent of the latter (the bazaar). Definitely worth a read of you're in this line of work or hobby. If you aren't, it might be a good read, but probably makes more assumptions about your knowledge of the software development world and the open source community at large than it should. On the other hand, it's not necessarily a layman's text, and perhaps it shouldn't be. I read it online for free on the author's website, and you can, too, starting here: http://www.catb.org/esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/index.html
leeg's review
3.0
Interesting reading, though it definitely needs revisiting in the DVCS world where forking is common and releases are rare; and in a world where the meaning of open source has become diluted. It's hard to tell what of ESR's anthropology is fact, what is wishful thinking and what is simply marketing.
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