[Air-l] 3 new papers on freesoftware|opensource.mit.edu

[Karim R. Lakhani]

<sorry for any x-posting>
Hi All,

Please find details below on the following three papers.  Many thanks to
all the authors for their contributions. Please do provide them with
feedback.

Thanks

Karim




Paper 1
Lin, Yuwei

Title:
Gender issues in the FLOSS development
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/lin3_gender.pdf

The FLOSS development is responding to the ICT development in various
ways. This essay describes and analyses challenges (societal and
organisational) and advantages (e.g. new models for mobile and
collaborative work online), particularly regarding gender issues,
encountered in the recent FLOSS development. The focus of the essay is
not only on the claims made women in the existed FLOSS community about
the tensions between male and female developers' interests and ways of
doings, but also on the current obstacles against bringing more women,
who are not technically competent, to participate in the FLOSS
development. This paper concludes with suggestions on how to create
rules and resources and the creation of a common FLOSS space for both
genders.



Paper 2
Author:
Tuomi, Ilkka

Title:
The Future of Open Source
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/tuomi3_bookchapter.pdf

Abstract:
Open source has seen phenomenal growth in recent years. In many ways, it
has been a great success story. Yet it is interesting to study the
conditions that would enable the open-source movement to remain viable
and thrive also in the future. This chapter explores the driving forces
behind the open source model and its constraints, discussing both the
factors likely to promote the continuous growth of the open-source
movement and those that could lead to its downfall.


Paper 3
Author:
Klang, Mathias

Title:
Free software and open source: The freedom debate and its consequences
http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_3/klang/index.html

Abstract:
To most outsiders the ethics of software is not something usually
considered. To most proficient computer users with a passing interest in
this question the ethics of software is recognised as one of the
fundamental questions in the digital rights area. To most of the latter,
terms such as free software, open source, and their derivatives (FLOSS,
FOSS, Software Freedom) are interchangeable. Choosing one over the other
is a matter of taste rather than politics. However, to most insiders the
question is not one of taste. There is a fundamental difference between
the two areas even if they share a similar root. Free software is not
the same as open source. The two groups differ in their fundamental
philosophical approach to software and its importance to society as a
whole. This paper examines the two groups’ differing philosophies and
explores how their actions have affected software development, access to
fundamental software infrastructure, and the development of the concept
of freedom.


-- 
Karim R. Lakhani
MIT Sloan | The Boston Consulting Group
Mobile: +1 (617) 851-1224
http://spoudaiospaizen.net
http://web.mit.edu/lakhani/www | http://opensource.mit.edu