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The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 285 ratings

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.


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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Eric Raymond is an Open Source evangelist and author of the highly influential paper "The Cathedral and the Bazaar".

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0026OR3LM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ O'Reilly Media; 1st edition (February 1, 2001)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 1, 2001
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.5 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 258 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 285 ratings

About the author

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Eric S. Raymond
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I design software, and I write books about software design. My software helps power pretty much every Internet-aware device you use daily - smartphones, ATMs, browsers. My books tend to have consequences and stay interesting for a long time. What I try to do is inquire deeply into timeless design patterns and the mindset that makes for great software

When I'm not writing code or books, I'm a science fiction fan, a martial artist, a firearms instructor, and a championship-level strategy gamer. I like Szechuan food, cats, and redheads. I live in Malvern, Pennsylvania with a redheaded wife and a ginger cat. You can read my personal blog at: http://esr.ibiblio.org

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
285 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and well-written. They appreciate the clear explanations of the open-source paradigm and programming techniques. The book covers topics like the difference between open-source and proprietary software, as well as the definition of hackers. Overall, customers find it an interesting and useful guide for understanding the tech world today.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

18 customers mention "Readability"17 positive1 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and interesting. They say it's a well-thought-out treatise on the philosophy of open source. Readers recommend it for anyone doing software development or running a business. The book makes good points throughout and is inspirational for those interested in hacking, GNU/Linux, and the open source community.

"...open-source software and general technology principles, this is an excellent book. I highly recommend this book." Read more

"...of the Open Source community, and recommended reading for anyone doing business in software development, or running a business that depends on..." Read more

"...'s writing makes this a technical book unlike its kind: it feels like reading a novel; even though all his points are made objectively, his style..." Read more

"An exquisite work of art, a well thought-out treatise on the philosophy and mechanics of "Open-Source" software...." Read more

10 customers mention "Pacing"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing. They find the content an excellent explanation of the open-source paradigm of programming en masse. The book provides thorough coverage of the subject, with detailed technical and programming content. Readers appreciate the analysis of methods and motives of the community, supported by clear case histories and logical reasoning.

"...For a thorough, intelligent, and broadly interesting treatise on open-source software and general technology principles, this is an excellent book...." Read more

"...; even though all his points are made objectively, his style doesn't tire the reader like most technical reviews do...." Read more

"...All of these topics are supported by very clear and understandable case histories and logical reasoning...." Read more

"...Raymond does a fantastic job analysing the methods and motives of the community with lots of real world examples to back up his observations...." Read more

9 customers mention "Open source"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for understanding open source software. They appreciate the clear explanation of the difference between open-source and proprietary software and the philosophy and mechanics of open-source software.

"...For a thorough, intelligent, and broadly interesting treatise on open-source software and general technology principles, this is an excellent book...." Read more

"...It is the first comprehensive commentary on the sociology of the Open Source community, and recommended reading for anyone doing business in..." Read more

"...a well thought-out treatise on the philosophy and mechanics of "Open-Source" software...." Read more

"...read for those interested in hacking, GNU/Linux, and the open source world at large...." Read more

3 customers mention "Hacker culture"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful about hacker culture. They appreciate the discussion on the real definition of hackers and the comparison to the Cathedral.

"...Great hackers, he tells us, are humble people...." Read more

"...Excellent discussions on: the real definition of "hackers', comparison of "Cathedral" versus "Bazaar" methods of software development, how "Bazaar..." Read more

"Awesome hacker culture book" Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2010
    Eric S. Raymond offers readers a set of essays and thoughts on technology in "The Cathedral & the Bazaar." Bound to be a classic of technology writing and thinking, this compendium effectively bridges the gap between a technical subject matter and mainstream business thinking.

    Raymond covers topics ranging from the inner workings of an open source application development effort to the economics of open versus closed source software. Some of the writing (and thinking) here is quite advanced and complex -- Raymond pulls no punches nor oversimplifies a complex set of topics.

    By way of example, Raymond notes, "...the [open-source] culture's adaptation to its circumstances manifests both as conscious ideology and as implicit, unconscious or semi-conscious knowledge." I highlight this point so that the reader has some sense of what to expect with this publication -- the book is thought-provoking and requires significant thinking and attention -- a sign of a good book, in my opinion.

    For a thorough, intelligent, and broadly interesting treatise on open-source software and general technology principles, this is an excellent book. I highly recommend this book.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2005
    Eric Raymond is widely regarded as the anthropologist of the hacker community. This is Eric Raymond's revised classic with some new material. It is the first comprehensive commentary on the sociology of the Open Source community, and recommended reading for anyone doing business in software development, or running a business that depends on software and the Internet.

    Like many of Eric Raymond's colleagues and fellow Geeks, he is clearly a brilliant individual, carried forward by focused effort and imagination. And like many talented people, he is an autodidact; self taught bar some courses in philosophy and mathematics. This is not a criticism. Raymond's career, publications and contribution show amply the intellectual qualities he possesses. However, his lack of training in social, economic and cultural science shows. And, as an insider (he is one of the original tribe of hackers) he is not the best person to make a disinterested commentary on the hacker community.

    Great hackers, he tells us, are humble people. A more critical observer would have analyzed the comparative payoffs of styles showing why a loud mouth style - while it might work for some performers or show oriented careers - doesn't pay in this community. This is generally true of communities in which peers are well able to judge the quality of each other's contributions. Faking it doesn't payoff, and looking like you might need to fake it is counter productive. Insofar as the behaviour of chief hackers is humble, we learn more about the social economy of hackerdom than about distinctive individual personalities.

    Despite many insights, Eric Raymond is wrong in his principal analysis. Why, he asks, do talented people spend years of unpaid work on projects that benefit others for no pecuniary reward? He characterizes hackers as members of a gift giving community, and attributes too much of the hacker motivation to altruism and idealism.

    The central problem is not "why do hackers work for no pay?" Rather, why do people work for money? Or, more fundamentally, why do people work? I take it that readers will agree that we can roughly divide our motives into physiological drives (hunger, thirst, need for shelter, sex) and the "higher" needs (self fulfilment and meaning). After satisfying the needs for food, shelter and companionship why do we continue to work at all? If it is to get status, to get power, to feel good about ourselves and similar, then money beyond basic needs is unnecessary. Onassis once remarked "Without women, all the money in the world is worthless." Some of us work to become wealthy, and we trade that wealth for status, power, respect and admiration, and perhaps we use our wealth to get women, sex and occasionally love. If this is what these motives are for, then even the higher needs are secondary to sex; or, as evolutionary psychologists tell us, are all about reproduction.

    Money is a means. If I can earn status, power and respect directly, why waste time with money? Of course, money is fungible. That means it can be traded easily for a great many things; a big house and a luxury car, perhaps. But possessing these is merely another way of obtaining status, power, respect, admiration and sex, if not love.

    Why am I writing this review? By my own dispassionate analysis, I am advertising my capacity to say sensible things and I am making a reputation; this is an asset in the social and commercial market place. Amazon might like me for doing this, but they would be mistaken to think that I write reviews out of altruism directed at Amazon; at least not defined in any metaphysical or moral sense. Sociobiologists denote some social instincts "altruism" but these are operational definitions of instincts as Machiavellian as any scheming tactician can be said to possess; in that sense I may be an altruist. Hackers too, for their work is not unlike my book reviews. Hackers trade in an economy that differs not one jot from the money economy, and Eric Raymond, in so far as he supposes it to be a fundamentally different kind of economy, is mistaken.

    Likewise the account of hacker commitment to lofty ideals are not any more credible - but also not any less credible - than the mission statements and codes of ethics written by CEOs of major corporations. Among hackers are people as likely to steal code as are others to donate code; to write viruses as to write Fetch Mail. An anarchic disrespect for some of our more widely accepted conventions for protecting property rights is a characteristic of hacker mentality; not one that we should admire. Of course, honourable idealists are found among hackers; Eric Raymond is clearly one of them. Take, for example, the Open Source Initiative that is largely his work. What an outstanding contribution that is! Clearly he is passionate about his beliefs and ideals. But honourable idealists are found among entrepreneurs too, also successful ones, and even among politicians. Let us not delude ourselves about what it is the really motivates us and our fellow travellers.
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2012
    Although I already had an overall favorable opinion of the book long before buying and reading it, my expectations were surpassed. Very good points are made throughout the book, which must be considered even when not agreeing with all of them. Furthermore, ESR's writing makes this a technical book unlike its kind: it feels like reading a novel; even though all his points are made objectively, his style doesn't tire the reader like most technical reviews do. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest interest in the sociology or economics behind software development in general - not only open source.
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2005
    An exquisite work of art, a well thought-out treatise on the philosophy and mechanics of "Open-Source" software. Excellent discussions on: the real definition of "hackers', comparison of "Cathedral" versus "Bazaar" methods of software development, how "Bazaar" development produces higher quality software faster than the "Cathedral" method, and how the "Bazaar" method provides longevity to software. Finally, it is shown how the spirit of software craftsmanship is nurtured by the "Bazaar" method. All of these topics are supported by very clear and understandable case histories and logical reasoning. This book is even more important now with the growing influence of Linux and other "Open Source" software such as Mozilla's Firefox.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Edil Medeiros
    5.0 out of 5 stars Agora você vai entender o que é software livre
    Reviewed in Brazil on May 26, 2024
    Eu não me canso de reler The Cathedral and The Bazzar, ele mudou totalmente a minha percepção sobre o que é software livre e porque eu deveria investir mais em contribuir com esse tipo de projeto para melhorar meu entendimento de computação e melhorar minha reputação profissional.
  • Manuel Molina Cuberos
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gran libro y pésima entrega
    Reviewed in Spain on July 18, 2023
    El libro responde a la descripción.
    Lamentablemente Correos forzó el libro dentro del buzón y lo rompió.
    He tenido que reparar el lomo del libro, y aún así ha quedado torcido.
  • Aaron Luna
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lectura recomendada
    Reviewed in Mexico on October 5, 2019
    Excelente opción para conocer más del tema de software libre y de código abierto.
  • Matteo Tempestini
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!
    Reviewed in Italy on October 10, 2018
    Uno dei più bei libri che abbia mai letto. Una lettura consigliata per chi è dentro l'ingegneria del software e vuol comprendere meglio il rapporto tra software proprietario e software libero.
  • D. Hawthorne
    4.0 out of 5 stars Dated but still relevant
    Reviewed in Australia on May 26, 2019
    Given the rapid changes in the world of open-source software development, this book is expected to out-dated after several years. However, many of the insights from the author remain relevant today and are likely to be so for the near future.

    I read this book on the recommendation of Fred Brooks in his book "The Design of Design": "I strongly urge all of my readers to read Raymond -- not just the widely circulated title essay, but the other chapters in the book. There is much truth, much insight, and much wisdom there." (p.56)

    From the perspective of design, the open-source model is presented as having difficulties in originating new products. Brooks puts this problem as the best designs comes from an individual, not from a group. Brooks says that "...great designs have conceptual integrity--unity, economy, clarity." (p.8) Raymond reiterates this point: "It's fairly clear that one cannot code from the ground up in bazaar style." (p.27)

    Raymond also explores several possibilities of governance of open-source projects. Direct democracy is not one of them. At best, the governance is done by an aristocracy of elite contributors. At worst, there is the benevolent dictator model. Because membership in a project is voluntary, the non-benevolent dictator model quickly fails.

    Raymond is unable to resolve this tension between the great design of a project from a benevolent dictator and the participatory democracy beloved by open-source advocates.
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