#18892
Applying Copyleft To Non-Software Information
Copyleft contains the normal copyright statement, asserting ownership and identification of the author. However, it then gives away some of the other rights implicit in the normal copyright: it says that not only are you free to redistribute this work, but you are also free to change the work. However, you cannot claim to have written the original work, nor can you claim that these changes were created by someone else. Finally, all derivative works must also be placed under these terms.
Stutz, Michael. GNU. Articles>Intellectual Property>Copyright>Open Source
#25854
Beyond Markets and Firms: The Emergence of Open Source Networks 
Although hierarchies and markets (i.e., autonomy) have been subject to extensive study, heterarchies represent different modalities of organizing that have been little researched. Drawing on complexity theory and the main features of complex evolving systems (CES), this paper sets out to remedy this imbalance by showing that heterarchies feature highly decentralized and relatively stable interactions which are coordinated through an emergent process of parametric adaptation. Implications in terms of learning are discussed casting a new light on the delicate issue of motivation in Open Source software development.
Iannacci, Federico and Eve Mitleton-Kelly. First Monday (2005). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>Open Source
#27452
Calculating the True Price of Software
Therefore, the major difference in worldview between open source advocates and proprietary software license advocates is explainable as a differing opinion on the correct value of the volatility of maintenance and upgrade pricing. People who believe that the pricing on maintenance is stable and unlikely to change see greater intrinsic value in the software. People who fear that the pricing is subject to large fluctuations see no intrinsic value in the up-front license; stripped of the options, the license value approaches $0.
Lefkowitz, Robert. O'Reilly and Associates (2005). Articles>Technology>Software>Open Source
#29459
Categories of Free and Non-Free Software
A glossary of various categories of software that are often mentioned in discussions of free software.
Free Software Foundation (2005). Articles>Software>Open Source
#20030
The Challenges of Open-Source Documentation and Training
There are at least two important issues that are closely related to the open-source software support questions we raised in part 1 of this look at open-source practicalities: documenting the software and training people to use it. With a traditional, commercially licensed product, documentation is as simple as obtaining a hard copy, a CD or going online to get all the details needed from the software's developer. Or, if something is missing, using support from the vendor to get questions and issues resolved.
Smith, Tom. Open Enterprise, The (2003). Articles>Documentation>Open Source
#25041
Checklist for Justifying Free Software
In a few years viewing source code within the major components of software infrastructure will probably be a routine way of doing business. In the meantime it seems that the only reason managers want free software is because it is free (as in free of costs). That's not a good reason in itself: in the long run there are compelling reasons that robust, mission critical infrastructure software should be made free software.
Spence, Malcolm D. Free Software Magazine (2005). Articles>Software>Open Source
#19539
Clustering and Dependencies in Free/Open Source Software Development: Methodology and Tools
This paper addresses the problem of measurement of non-monetary economic activity, specifically in the area of free/open source software [1] communities. It describes the problems associated with research on these communities in the absence of measurable monetary transactions, and suggests possible alternatives. A class of techniques using software source code as factual documentation of economic activity is described and a methodology for the extraction, interpretation and analysis of empirical data from software source code is detailed, with the outline of algorithms for identifying collaborative authorship and determining the identity of coherent economic actors in developer communities. Finally, conclusions are drawn from the application of these techniques to a base of software.
Aiyer Ghosh, Rishab. First Monday (2003). Articles>Software>Open Source>Community
#14306
Collaborative Virtual Workspace
CVW is a collaboration software environment that provides a 'virtual building' where teams can communicate, collaborate, and share information, regardless of their geographic location. CVW takes virtual meetings one step further and enables virtual co-location through persistent virtual rooms, each incorporating people, information, and tools appropriate to a task, operation, or service.
SourceForge (2001). Resources>Software>Collaboration>Open Source
#26497
Considering Open Source Content Management Systems 
Open source software content management systems (CMS) offer affordability, flexibility, and in many cases outstanding performance.
Still, Brian. IEEE PCS (2005). Articles>Content Management>Open Source
#32027
Crowdsourcing as a Model for Problem Solving: An Introduction and Cases 
Crowdsourcing is an online, distributed problem-solving and production model that has emerged in recent years. Notable examples of the model include Threadless, iStockphoto, InnoCentive, the Goldcorp Challenge, and user-generated advertising contests. This article provides an introduction to crowdsourcing, both its theoretical grounding and exemplar cases, taking care to distinguish crowdsourcing from open source production. This article also explores the possibilities for the model, its potential to exploit a crowd of innovators, and its potential for use beyond forprofit sectors. Finally, this article proposes an agenda for research into crowdsourcing.
Brabham, Daren C. Convergence (2008). Articles>Collaboration>Methods>Open Source
#25442
DocBook is an XML vocabulary that is particularly well suited to books and papers about computer hardware and software.
SourceForge (2003). Resources>Documentation>Open Source>DocBook
#19056
Educational Models and Open Source: Resisting the Proprietary University
This paper presents an educational model derived from open source methods for computer programming. The article places this search for an alternative model within a framework of proprietary educational practices that are driven by a need for efficiency and rationalization. As an alternative model, the paper suggests that an open source derived educational process would emphasize collaborative problem based learning, working through drafts, risk taking, mentoring, user testing, releasing early and often. . . .
Faber, Brenton D. ACM SIGDOC (2002). Articles>Education>Knowledge Management>Open Source
#20614
Ethics in Technical Communication: Copyleft and the Open Source Movement
A collection of resources about open-source software, innovation in copyright, and their implications for technical communicators.
Lannon, John M. Pearson Education. Resources>Intellectual Property>Ethics>Open Source
#31112
A Few Thoughts on FOSS Help Authoring Tools
There's a lot of great free and Open Source (FOSS) software out there. But one area in which it's lacking is professional-level help authoring tools. In 2005, Linux.com published an article titled "FOSS help authoring tools falter". And not much seems to have changed in the intervening years.
DMN Communications (2008). Articles>Documentation>Help>Open Source
#28368
Free or Open-Source Tools for Technical Communicators, Part 1: The Software 
This article takes a look at some of the most successful free and open-source products available for technical communicators and their clients.
Curley, Charles. Intercom (2006). Articles>TC>Software>Open Source
#31242
Fulfilling the Promise of Open Content
Unfortunately, the movement to use open educational resources in higher education hasn’t yet realized the full impact that its founders anticipated. Open content is still in its infancy and faces some technical and cultural challenges that affect its widespread adoption.
Petrides, Lisa. Inside Higher Ed (2008). Articles>Education>Online>Open Source
#19057
Technical communicators have become increasingly interested in how to 'open up' the documentation process - to encourage workers to participate in developing documentation that closely fits their needs. This goal has led technical communicators to engage in usability testing, user-centered design approaches, and, more recently, open source documentation. Although these approaches have all had some success, there are other ways to encourage the participatory citizenship that is implied in these approaches. One way is through an open systems approach in which workers can consensually modify a given system and add their own contributions to the system.
Spinuzzi, Clay. ACM SIGDOC (2002). Articles>Documentation>Information Design>Open Source
#18893
Good ideas are worth money. So why are hard-headed operators giving them away for free?
Lawton, Graham. New Scientist.com. Articles>Intellectual Property>Copyright>Open Source
#12963
The idea behind Open Source is simple: everyone should have the freedom to copy, distribute, and change source code. The implications, however, overturn the conventional high-tech business model. When software is no longer intellectual property, everything changes. Development is quicker because more people are involved. Bugs are caught more quickly. Instead of being passive consumers, customers can become partners in development. Instead of selling software, companies sell hardware, services, or added value. Internally, companies become more interactive and more loosely structured. If Open Source continues to gather speed, high-tech workers will discover that it is not just a development model, but also a new model for corporate life. For writers, the approach of Open Source could be especially important. How documentation is viewed and used, how writers interact with developers, and what tools are used--all of these and more could be affected by the Open Source movement.
Byfield, Bruce. TECHWR-L (2000). Articles>Software>Open Source
#13454
The Implications for Technical Writers of the Movement Toward Open Systems
The movement toward open systems is gaining momentum. Those technical writers in the computer and software industries who have been accustomed to working in the world of proprietary systems will have to adjust to working in this new world of open systems. This paper briefly describes the open systems movement and then discusses in detail the implications of that movement for technical writers. This includes the challenges they will face and the skills they will need to develop. A brief case study of the involvement of technical writers in the Open Software Foundation’s DCE project is included.
Abbott, John J. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Knowledge Management>Open Source>Technical Writing
#27884
Indexing with Open Source Tools
The index can often be the most heavily used 'chapter' in any publication and helping the user find an answer is the key to fulfilling the technical document's mission, justifying the effort and expense for its creation. Yet, indexing facilities in open source packages for document creation remains largely unexplored, offering a marvelous opportunity to do it right! This article provides a generic specification (with reasons) to open source developers for creating useful indexing facilities in packages such as OpenOffice and Scribus. It also informs writers about what to look for and what to ask for in any indexing tool. Finally, the article demonstrates the need for software developers to work closely with practitioners and users.
Brown, Fred. International Journal for Technical Communication (2006). Articles>Indexing>Software>Open Source
#25858
This paper contributes to the literature on Open Source (OS) software by providing empirical evidence on the incentives of firms that engage in OS activities. Data collected by a survey conducted on 146 Italian companies supplying OS solutions (Open Source firms) show that (surprisingly) intrinsic, community–based incentives do play a role but are not, in general, put into practise. We investigate this discrepancy between attitudes and behaviours and single out groups of firms adopting more consistent behaviours. Our results are in line with the literature on business models of the firms that enter the Open Source field.
Rossi, Cristina and Andrea Bonaccorsi. First Monday (2005). Articles>Information Design>Case Studies>Open Source
#25790
Introduction to LAMP Technology
This tutorial explores the Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP, or LAMP, Web development framework and shows how that framework can help you build applications to solve common business problems. The tutorial begins with an exploration of the LAMP architecture, then introduces fundamental PHP concepts. After a solid grounding of PHP, the tutorial explains MySQL support, with coverage focusing on database concepts and how to access MySQL from PHP. All of these techniques are discussed within the context of a real-world customer management example.
Bacon, Jono. IBM (2005). Articles>Web Design>Server Side Includes>Open Source
#27155
Is Open Source is Killing the Lone Coder?
It is probably more true that open source is helping the lone coder find a niche or their own market share. There are plenty of them and more are appearing everyday. With potential clients looking for specialists in content management software like Drupal, Joomla, Mambo, Typo3 and a gang of newcomers finding a niche is becoming increasingly easier.
Hiveminds (2005). Articles>Collaboration>Software>Open Source
#28127
It's Raining Code! (Hallelujah?)
As open-source development options proliferate, CIOs are finding ways to make it work for their organizations.
Lindquist, Christopher. CIO Magazine (2005). Articles>Documentation>Open Source
