Chapter 1. Introduction

Free software — open source software[3] — has become the backbone of modern information technology. It runs on your phone, on your laptop and desktop computers, and in embedded microcontrollers for household appliances, automobiles, industrial machinery and countless other devices that we too often forget even have software. Open source is especially prevalent on the servers that provide online services on the Internet. Every time you send an email, visit a web site, or call up some information on your smartphone, a significant portion of the activity is handled by open source software.

Cory Doctorow: IP

You’ve probably heard of “open source software.” If you pay at­tention to the politics of this stuff, you might have heard of “free software” and even know a little ab…

delftopenhardware/awesome-open-hardware

🛠Helpful items for making open source hardware projects.

Open Source Software - Part 1

The rise of OSS

Open source and the software supply chain

Managing something as esoteric as resources for building software with a variety of contributions made by the open source community is more amorphic.

When Free Software Isn't (Practically) Superior - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation

The Open Source Initiative's mission statement reads, “Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in.”

How open-source software took over the world | TechCrunch

It was just five years ago that there was an ample dose of skepticism from investors about the viability of open source as a business model. Fast-forward to today and we’ve witnessed the growing excitement in the space.

Some startups are going ‘fair source’ to avoid the pitfalls of open source licensing | TechCrunch

New alternative category to 'closed source' could help companies monetize software in the open -- without going all-in on open source.

Roadmap: Open Source

After years of investing in open source software, we’re releasing our thinking on what positions these companies as emerging technology giants.

Open Source is Not Enough

by James Halliday // The open source movement has fundamentally changed how software gets written. But in the process, corporations have been given a vast gift of free labor.

Embrace Open Source, For the Good of Nerdmanity | Fortune

More businesses are willing to use open source software for key projects.

The Innovations of Open Source

Dirk Riehle, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg In IEEE Computer vol. 52, no. 4, pp. 59-63. Open source has given us many innovations. This article provides an overview of the most i…

Open source software companies that go proprietary: A timeline | TechCrunch

Tracking open source software companies that have gone proprietary over the past 10 years: A timeline.

Why Open Source Software / Free Software (OSS/FS, FOSS, or FLOSS)? Look at the Numbers!

This paper provides quantitative data that, in many cases, open source software / free software is equal to or superior to their proprietary competition. The paper examines market share, reliability, performance, scalability, scaleability, security, and total cost of ownership; it also comments on non-quantitative issues and unnecessary fears.

The Best 8 Free and Open Source Game Development Software

The game development software solutions are best to use for developing interesting 2D and 3D games that can retain the interest of the gamers as well as the developers.

Open source is a restaurant

[[Chad Whitacre]] makes a great analogy around when/how software gets paid for, vs food. Open Source is a restaurant. At a restaurant, you eat your meal fir...