Open Source and the Bazaar Method

1. Open Source and the Bazaar Method

2. History of Software Development • 1944, Harvard and IBM build first computer bundling Hardware and Software together • 1969, IBM begins to bundle Hardware and Software separately keeping source code secret • 1981, Separation of Hardware and Software becomes final when IBM partnered with Microsoft and Intel to develop the first Personal Computer

3. Open Source • Early 1970’s, AT&T Bell Labs developed the Unix operating system, a portable operating system • Unix source code and licenses were given away to universities and AT&T published two books containing the source code • University of California altered the Unix Source code to create many new enhanced features and then freely released the enhanced versions to the public

4. Rise of Freeware • Lawsuits ensued over which parts of Unix source code could be freely distributed to the public • As a result, Linus Torvalds created the new operating system Linux in the early 1990’s • The Linux source code was freely distributed to the public where the hacker community could freely alter and improve upon the existing code

5. Development Community • A new community of hackers and programmers emerged on the internet as a result of open source software • These programmers took part in the development and maintenance of new programs by altering and improving upon existing source code • The Development Community allowed Linus Torvalds to use limited funds to create a fully capable operating system with thousands of debuggers and coders

6. Open Source Definition: Social Contract • In 1997, Bruce Perens published a book of guidelines to articulate the developers’ commitment to open source and its users • The Debian Free Software Guidelines were incorporated into and became the basis of the Open Source Definition • The Open Source Definition became a social contract between developers and users allowing the users to use and alter source code freely and keeping the developers free from liability

7. Autonomy • A level of Autonomy exists in OSS Development that does not exist in the corporate field • Developers are free to pick and choose which projects they wish to take part in and for how long • Programmers have the freedom to take OSS software in their own direction

8. Quality: For Better or Worse? • Critics of OSS software claim that programmers will produce a lesser quality product when there is no monetary value and proper documentation is non existent • Advocates of OSS software claim that a programmer has the freedom to pick and choose which projects to work on and therefore will work hard on those projects that interest them • Advocated also claim that the pressure of reputation in the OSS community pushes developers to produce higher quality work

9. Open Source and Accountability • In her article Computing and Accountability, Helen Nissenbaum cites four barriers to accountability • The Problem of Many hands – when there are too many people working on a project, it can be difficult to identify who is accountable • Bugs – Believing software bugs are a way of life creates problems with accountability • Computer as Scapegoat – Blaming the computer when a program cannot be ran • Ownership without liability – when a person creates a program or develops code but is not liable for the problems with its use

10. Solving Accountability Issues in the OSS Community • The OSS Community handles each accountability issue in a different fashion • Many Hands – In the OSS Community, when a developer creates bad code, other developers are far less likely to accept it, therefore an individual accountability is created • Bugs – The OSS community handles bugs with a group effort,

11. Is Open Source a Public Good? • Can open source be considered a free source for research and the expansion of knowledge? • Peter Kollack defines public goods as those things non-excludable and indivisible • Kollack argues that because OSS is prohibited from discrimination it supports the idea of non-exclusion and because one user does not affect the others it is indivisible • Bertrand Meyer argues against Kollack that there are often ulterior motives behind the development of OSS: “Microsoft Bashing”

12. In the Cathedral, small groups of individuals work in isolation developing software Beta is not released before a program has been tested Debuggers and Coders work on source code that is often kept secret In the Bazaar, programs are developed in a mass group effort over the internet Programs are released early Debuggers and Coders consist of OSS developers world wide The Cathedral and the Bazaar

13. Rules of the Bazaar Method • Eric Raymond developed the Bazaar Method after analyzing the development of Linux • Raymond realized that the creation of Linux was unique and fundamental guidelines would allow the Bazaar method to be recreated • Studying the process behind the design and creation of Linux, Eric Raymond created a few rules behind the Bazaar method

14. Rule of the Bazaar Method, cont. A few of the principles formulated by Raymond on the Bazaar method include: • Every good work of software starts by scratching a developer’s personal itch • Treating your users as co-developers is your least-hassle route to rapid code improvement and effective debugging • Release early. Release often. And listen to your customers. • Given a large enough beta-tester and co-developer base, almost every problem will be characterized quickly and the fix obvious to someone • If you treat your beta-testers as if they’re your most valuable resource, they will respond by becoming your most valuable resource

15. Applying the Bazaar Method: Popmail • Eric Raymond applied the principles behind the Linux creation to an OSS POP3 client called Popclient • Using the Bazaar principles he created a large base of debuggers and coders by releasing early and often • By creating a large base of debuggers, Raymond believed all problems could be found quickly and solved efficiently

16. Popclient becomes Fetchmail • Listening to the thoughts and ideas of his users, Raymond redesigned Popclient to forward mail through the SMTP port • This change in design drastically improved the program’s efficiency and throughput • Raymond came to the belief that the most valuable resource available in the Bazaar Method are the ideas of the user

17. Social Context of Open Source • The Bazaar method allows co-developers to come and go as their interests change • In the Cathedral, as developers leave and are added, the release dates of programs become later • Raymond found that when developing in the Bazaar method, developers could come and go without delaying the release of a program • A lead developer in the Bazaar must have a strong leadership ability that allows him/her to attract co-developers

18. Raising the Question: The Maginot Line • After Raymond released his findings on the Bazaar Method, skeptics criticized the Bazaar method • Skeptics believed that the driving force of management increases the performance and efficiency of software • Raymond countered this claim by citing the examples of the GNU Emacs and Linux which have been running and updating for several years • Raymond also indicated that traditionally managed software projects do not meet reliable execution by deadline, on budget, or to all features of the specification

19. Future of Open Source • Since, Eric Raymond’s release of “The Cathedral and the Bazaar” several companies have embraced the Bazaar method • Netscape released their source code for the Netscape communicator to the public in 1998 • Mozilla, a popular internet browser in the hacker community, uses OSS and the design and added features are designed by users worldwide