This book describes two 'modes' or 'metaphors' for software development - the old 'Cathedral' one, in which a few programmers, locked away from the world, slowly release iterations of their software to the world, a mode employed by the business world. Then there's the new 'Bazaar', in which rapid development around a core team of developers is favoured, developers who are constantly in contact with users and co-developers - most of open source software development happens like this.It's an inter...

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.

I'm intending to read this not because I have any knowledge of writing computer code or programming, and not because I have any particular interest in Linux except as a philosophy; however, picture a protagonist that is a HACKER, and the circumscribed and circuitous and serpentine paths that he followed through the strange years of the MILLENNIUM, and one might start to see something of an interesting story beginning to gather itself. Research for a possible PROJECT. How could a novel be shaped

The closest I've come to programming is HTML 4 and Excel, so a lot of this book was over my head. A someone who sorely missed the heady days of the 1990s when the Internet was a distinct place and some thought the beginning of a new world -- one free from control, allowing for limitless self-expression and an alternate society -- I found much else here fascinating. Particularly noteworthy were Raymond's connections between Linux-style open source development and the emergent order of free econom...

I had read the title essay "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" on the Web about a year ago. In fact, I held a series of chats on the subject (which I considered to be "the Linux development model" So when the book came out, I presumed that I knew what it was all about. I just thought the author had expanded on that single brilliant idea and blown it up to book size. Little did I expect a book with such a broad scope and such far-reaching implications.The title essay examines the question of how to ma...

Good, quick analysis of the strengths of open source software and how an open source project should be managed (at a very high level). Something worth reading for every software entrepreneur and developer, or at least worth skimming.

This is a famous paean to Open Source software, a bit dated now but still relevant. It explains very clearly why the OS movement is so popular; it also gives you an idea of why so many OS advocates are insufferable zealots. Eric Raymond is an ideologue preaching his message, and while he makes good points (usually), it does get very preachy at times (and also ignores some of the economic realities). Good reading if you're really into geek sociology and want to understand why Linux really was rat...

It was interesting to learn about the open-source software movement's history, business models, successes, and impact. Despite being informative, the essays feel more like a libertarian manifesto for software development than they do an open-source doctrine, and the author's self-importance is unbearable.

It's kind of funny to read, because there are so many cornerstones of techno-libertarian ideology presented in the essays. At the time the essays were written it was probably all kind of new and exciting, but nowadays those positions are kinda hard to defend. The parts about Linus Torvalds are gold, as it's argued that he's such a sweet and agreeable person. And it's also pointed out how not attacking the authors and speaking softly are core skills when working in a Bazaar-like environment. I gu...

As the Bible of the Open Source definition, this is a 5 star book. It also happens to be one of the few ever written which attempts to explain what open source is and define its motives and mechanics.The issues I see with the book, which are being put forth from my own opinion 15 years after the books writing date and 12 years after this version's last update are these:1. It too lightly sidestepped the issues surrounding the introduction of a new software version number. The statements and assum...

This is a collection of essays which are all available online but nice to have in book form. The common theme through all the essays is explaining, from an insider's point of view, who hackers are and why open source software seems to work so well. Although ESR can sometimes brush off the commercial world (and even the academic world) a bit quickly, his essays feel right to me overall. I think he is right about why open source software tends to be of such good quality (frequent small releases, u...

Must read for anyone who is even remotely related to software development or management.

The Cathedral & The Bazaar is a set of essays that documents a specific period in time, the rise of Linux in the 90’s, with a bit of history to explain UNIX and the state of computers up until that point. It does a decent job of giving you an idea of what the open-source community was like at the beginning until roughly 1998. The author, Eric S. Raymond (also known as esr), has been involved in some way or another with open-source software since the movement began in the 80’s, and is also one of...

3.5 rounded up for historical reasons. I remember finishing this book some ten years ago. I was on a flight and I distinctly remember feeling like somehow this had changed my life... I vaguely recall blabbering on about it as I got my luggage with my dad. It hasn't aged well. The core concepts have but, the culture has not. We've moved on from the hacker culture for the most part, tech bros aside, and that's a good thing. Good riddance. Have to admit the writing style was perfect for a fifteen y...

Book is witty and as it struck the right cords with the inner geek in me. I like how author narrates the story of open source and how it was a paradigm shift in how collaboration happened, how things were built.Also comparing it with closed software development.Then there is underlying theme of being anti authoritarian, freedom loving citizen of the world. I wish I had read it in college.

The author discusses the main points of difference between the two styles of software development i.e. the one employed by corporate organisations(microsoft and the likes) called as the cathedral by the author and the one adopted by the open source community (made popular by the success of linux kernel development) called as the bazaar by the author. He emphasizes on why the second model/approach leads to a much better software product even though it seems counter intuitive. All the points that

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 communic...

How does a gift economy work? EricRaymond has a collection of essays written over the 1990's looking at the culture o software programming, in particular the subculture that develops and uses open source (or free software). In particular, his writings attempt to explain why does open source not fall into the trap of the free rider problem or the tragedy of the commons.The answer he comes up with are several. One is the concept of 'scratch your own itch'. The idea that programmers find something

Being evergreen is really rare trait in any technology related text and it is exactly what The Cathedral and the Bazaar is.It was never more relevant then it is today and it will be as relevant tomorrow.

While a lot has changed since the book was first published, it still contains a lot of valuable information. Explains quite well why open source works and why people love to contribute.