Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Open source provides the competitive advantage in the Internet Age. According to the August Forrester Report, 56 percent of IT managers interviewed at Global 2,500 companies are already using some type of open source software in their infrastructure and another 6 percent will install it in the next two years. This revolutionary model for collaborative software development is being embraced and studied by many of the biggest players in the high-tech industry, from Sun Microsystems to IBM to Intel. 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 key to its success. With major vendors creating acceptance for open source within companies, independent vendors will become the open source story in 2001.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Foreword (p. ix)
• Preface: Why You Should Care (p. xi)
• A Brief History of Hackerdom (p. 1)
• The Cathedral and the Bazaar (p. 19)
• Homesteading the Noosphere (p. 65)
• The Magic Cauldron (p. 113)
• Revenge of the Hackers (p. 167)
• Afterword: Beyond Software? (p. 193)
• Appendix A How to Become a Hacker (p. 195)
• Appendix B Statistical Trends in the Fetchmail Project's Growth (p. 215)
• Notes, Bibliography, and Acknowledgments (p. 219)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Business has changed. Much of world runs on "Open Source" software--even the largest software companies have had to admit that they run such software in their own operations, and may even sell products with Open Source code in it. Hackers (expert programmers--NOT the same as "crackers," who are criminals) work on their own time to produce and improve "free" software. This is possible because the source code is freely open to all, and because of the Internet--which is only fair, since it is Open Source software that makes the Internet possible. Raymond knows--and is part of--the revolution. In October 1999, a collection of his essays was published explaining the phenomenon. In true Open Source fashion, hackers responded to him, clarifying, adding, updating, and this new, revised, and expanded book, published only 15 months later, is the result. It will not teach one how to be a programmer, but it will give insight into how Open Source projects develop, the qualities of their leaders, and the rewards required by the hackers themselves. An important work for business people as well as computer scientists. All levels. R. P. Sarna Maine Maritime Academy