Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I feel like a lot of research must have gone into this book and it is quite interesting for the first half or first two thirds or so. After that, it got a little boring for me personally (covering a bunch of companies and their doings in the late 90s/early 2000s). Would be interested in reading an update to this that covers major events since then in a similar writing style.
Entertaining and interesting account of the history of open source software development and the people that drove it.
It feels a little unfair to review a book like this so long after it was written, given that I know what has happened in the years since. That said, it feels really dated today. The first half is a fun recap of how Linux and the open-source movement came into being, but as others have noted, the second half is much less interesting. It's more breathless enthusiasm for various companies that embraced, or were built on, open source, coupled with the author taking every opportunity to knock Microsoft (back when he was writing MS was still the evil empire, after all).
All in all, more objectivity might have helped, but a book like this which spends a lot of time predicting the future is never going to hold up well over time.
All in all, more objectivity might have helped, but a book like this which spends a lot of time predicting the future is never going to hold up well over time.
Truly inspiring. I had no idea about programming before reading this (still haven't) but, interestingly, lots of unfamiliar terminology didn't make it difficult to understand. The story behing development of Linux and the open-source revolution is absolutely captivating and bound to make you want to learn how to code (or at least try and install Linux on your PC).
A must read for anyone who is curious about Hacker Culture. Although it is pretty biased (I.E. The Big Bag Microsoft vs The Great and Good Linux), it does a good job explaining the origins of the FOSS and OSS movements. Even though it's pretty dated now, any technology enthusiast should read it.
This book was written during the dotcom bubble, with an Afterword after the bubble burst. So it gets the history right, and misses on some predictions. Most notably, it didn't foresee a world in which desktops fade in relevance, replaced by smartphones. BUT, it correctly predicts that Linux would continue to grow -- both on the server side, and in the form of Android. For me, it was a walk down memory lane. Good stuff.
Great read about the beginnings of Linux and other open source projects. The first few chapters on Linux specifically were fascinating, and very encouraging to see how just a few people can start a project so large.
The middle and end of the book dragged on a bit long. Unfortunately, the book becomes difficult to follow after the first few chapters, as many new projects and individuals are introduced. The segues are brief and forced, and often connect topics with no relation at all leaving the reader confused. Other times companies are introduced with no mention of what they actually DID, but rather mentioned offhand with vague statements. Later, other companies are introduced as "similar to previous company XYZ", leaving the reader with no clue what is actually going on.
Additionally, if you're looking for an unbiased account, this isn't exactly it. The book mostly stays on task, but often makes comments to paint companies that produce proprietary code in a poor light.
The middle and end of the book dragged on a bit long. Unfortunately, the book becomes difficult to follow after the first few chapters, as many new projects and individuals are introduced. The segues are brief and forced, and often connect topics with no relation at all leaving the reader confused. Other times companies are introduced with no mention of what they actually DID, but rather mentioned offhand with vague statements. Later, other companies are introduced as "similar to previous company XYZ", leaving the reader with no clue what is actually going on.
Additionally, if you're looking for an unbiased account, this isn't exactly it. The book mostly stays on task, but often makes comments to paint companies that produce proprietary code in a poor light.
This is an important read for open source software maintainers, since there is a lot of history (and therefore lessons to be learned). It doesn't have a terribly cohesive voice, but I think that's to be expected.
I can't give this a star rating. It began excellently, and ended in irrelevant trivia, and farce.
I read this book very much from a personal historical perspective, since I lived the history it recounts and know many of the people in it, either personally or by reputation. (I also happened to be frequently corresponding with one of the people most quoted in it, for unrelated reasons, as I read it.)
So, really I enjoyed the first 100 or so pages of the book, which covered years before I got very involved in this stuff. I'd heard that history before, but this stuck me as a more complete version, taken from closer to the source. That first section kept me reading too late for a few nights.
Then it went downhill, with endless details about company's shenanigans during the dotcom bubble. Was there, don't want to hear it again. The latter half of the book is a snapshot of a particularly deranged moment in time, which has perhaps of historical value, but not personal historical value. In the end I plowed though it only because Goodreads
told me I'd been reading this book for a month.
I will leave you with ... the farce! (From the last page of the book)
«Stallman says despairingly. "I'm going to keep working on the free software movement because I don't see who's going to replace me."
Nevertheless, a worthy successor who has the rare mix of qualities neccessary may already be emerging in the person of Miguel de Icaza.«
I read this book very much from a personal historical perspective, since I lived the history it recounts and know many of the people in it, either personally or by reputation. (I also happened to be frequently corresponding with one of the people most quoted in it, for unrelated reasons, as I read it.)
So, really I enjoyed the first 100 or so pages of the book, which covered years before I got very involved in this stuff. I'd heard that history before, but this stuck me as a more complete version, taken from closer to the source. That first section kept me reading too late for a few nights.
Then it went downhill, with endless details about company's shenanigans during the dotcom bubble. Was there, don't want to hear it again. The latter half of the book is a snapshot of a particularly deranged moment in time, which has perhaps of historical value, but not personal historical value. In the end I plowed though it only because Goodreads
told me I'd been reading this book for a month.
I will leave you with ... the farce! (From the last page of the book)
«Stallman says despairingly. "I'm going to keep working on the free software movement because I don't see who's going to replace me."
Nevertheless, a worthy successor who has the rare mix of qualities neccessary may already be emerging in the person of Miguel de Icaza.«