Open Source Books

Even this book was wrote in the early times of Mono I found it a really good introduction to the Mono Development, it is not designed to the "Professional C# Programmer" but for the really beginer in Mono and the C# Language.

It covers topics from the basic of C# Programming to topics about Network Programming, Database Programming and XML Programming.

If you want to start programming in Mono, start with this book

Mono Kick Start is co-written by Hans-Juergen Schoenig and Ewald Geschwinde for intermediate to advanced users and is a fast-paced, hands-on, nicely organized guide to Mono and .NET compatible application programming with Mono. Includes subjects like threads, network programming, security, database interaction, XML, and more, plus a comprehensive practical section that shows readers how to set up Web applications with Mono, how GUIs can be programmed using GTK, and how applications written with .NET can be operated in the Mono framework.

This is a good introduction to C# and Mono, unfortunately something is lost in the translation. One paragraph seems to be missing a sentence, and I was confused on numerous occcasions by variable names that appear to be in German. It can be confusing when the "avg" variable suddenly changes to "zah1". The "Human" class is refered to as the "Mensch" class in one example, and apparently "Andreas" is German for "Andy." If these kinds of errors don't trip you up, I recommend this book.

Are you an administrator managing a computer network or a power user running a small home/office network? If you are, this book is for you! Author Christian Gross, has done an outstanding job of writing a great book on how to use Open Source on a Microsoft Windows operating system.

Gross begins by explaining how to write shell scripts using BASH and its associated text-processing tools. Next, the author explains the Python programming language to write scripts. Then, he focuses on using encryption to secure data and communications between two computers. The author continues by focusing on using tools installed on a local computer that processes information which controls the computer, manages its files, and runs administrative scripts. In addition, the author next focuses on storing data using the Light Weight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) data store and Windows-compatible File Server SAMBA. He also explains the management of a relational database. Next, the author covers how to manage a Web server. Then, he examines how to process e-mail, send, receive, and filter e-mail. Finally, he covers how to install and manage productivity applications, such as an e-mail or Office software package.

No one book can teach you everything there is to know about Open Source. But, the author of this excellent book makes an earnest effort to provide you with a set of tools that can be used to complement your current operational routine.

When you hear the term Open Source many people think only of Linux and Linux based programs. While Linux is Open Source software there is plenty of Open Source software available for Windows too. Some of the programs and tools discussed in this book include the following: Cygwin, which allows the use of the bash shell and related powerful scripting language inside Windows, Python and its use as a scripting language, WinPT, the Windows Privacy Tools, OpenPGP Public Key Server, OpenVPN, a virtual private network server and client, XYNTService which allows running console scripts as a service, OpenLDAP, a LDAP server, SAMBA file and print server that shares between Windows and Linux and can act as a Domain Controller, MySQL SQL server, Apache web server, Xmail server, and OpenOffice, an office productivity suite. For each of the packages it includes installation instructions, configuration, and basis instructions on how to use it as well as where to go for additional documentation. These are all very useful programs that can make your Windows administration easier and more efficient. Open Source for Windows Administrators is highly recommended.

I haven't seen a book like this yet.. And I should know, I'm writing a Windows / Linux Integration and co-existence book. This book's focus is taking the myriad of open source applications and making them run on Windows. The idea is a good one: save in software costs by using the free stuff out there. There are some good tidbits of information on all sorts of applications which are already common in the Linux world: OpenVPN, OpenLDAP and OpenPGP to name a few. It could be a hard road for Windows administrators (at first) to go down the Open Source path.. and this book is good guide to get going on that path if you want to explore.

This collection of essays on the open source movement could be called a second edition to the book "Open Sources: Voices from the Revolution" that was published in 1999. That book spent much space trying to argue that the open source movement was legitimate and here to stay. That argument has long since been settled, so this book takes up the current and future trends of the open source movement. The essays can be read in any order, and depending on your expertise, some may not be of any real interest to you- for example the open source biology essay might not be valuable to someone interested in network security. However, all essays are written to be accessible to a wide audience in spite of that fact. For example, I have no background in biology whatsoever, but I still found the essay on open source biology an understandable and interesting read. I particularly enjoyed the essay on the open source paradigm shift by Tim O'Reilly. His premise is that free and open source developers are in much the same position today that IBM was in 1981 when it changed the rules of the computer industry, but failed to understand the consequences of the change. This allowed others, Microsoft in particular, to reap the benefits. O'Reilly concludes that existing proprietary software vendors are no better off, playing by the old rules while the new rules are reshaping the industry around them. Another favorite of mine was on the commoditization of software in which it is explained that this process has been driven by standards, in particular by the rise of communications-oriented systems such as the Internet, which depend on shared protocols, and define the interfaces and datatypes shared between cooperating components instead of those components' internals. There are also two fascinating essays on the open source movement in China and India, neither of which was really a factor when the first edition of this book was published six years ago. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in where technology might be headed in the future, not just those who are employed in the tech industry. I notice that nothing about the contents of the book is currently shown by Amazon, so I show the table of contents here for the purpose of completeness:
The list of essays are:
1. The Mozilla Project: Past and Future by Mitchell Baker
2. Open Source and Proprietary Software Development by Chris DiBona
3. A Tale of Two Standards by Jeremy Allison
4. Open Source and Security by Ben Laurie
5. Dual Licensing by Michael Olson
6. Open Source and the Commoditization of Software by Ian Murdock
7. Open Source and the Commodity Urge: Disruptive Models for a Disruptive Development Process by Matthew N. Asay
8. Under the Hood: Open Source and Open Standards Business Models in Context by Stephen R. Walli
9. Open Source and the Small Entrepreneur by Russ Nelson
10. Why Open Source Needs Copyright Politics by Wendy Seltzer
11. Libre Software in Europe by Jesus M. Gonzalez-BarahonaGregorio Robles
12. OSS in India by Alolita Sharma and Robert Adkins
13. When China Dances with OSS by Boon-Lock Yeo, Louisa Liu, and Sunil Saxena
14. How Much Freedom Do You Want? by Bruno Souza
15. Making a New World by Doc Searls
16. The Open Source Paradigm Shift by Tim O'Reilly
17. Extending Open Source Principles Beyond Software Development
by Pamela Jones
18. Open Source Biology by Andrew Hessel
19. Everything Is Known by Eugene Kim
20. The Early History of Nupedia and Wikipedia: A Memoir by Larry Sanger
21. Open Beyond Software by Sonali K. Shah
22. Patterns of Governance in Open Source by Steven Weber
23. Communicating Many to Many by Jeff Bates and Mark Stone
Appendixes :
A. The Open Source Definition
B. Referenced Open Source Licenses
C. Columns from Slashdot

Chris DiBona, Danese Cooper and Mark Stone edit Open Sources 2.0: The Continuing Evolution, a collection of essays from today's tech leaders exploring open source's impact on the software industry. Open source is network- enabled distributed collaboration that holds the potential of changing not only online business itself, but the nature of collaboration. Articles address the future of open source in essays that cover not just the developing technology but the participation of international communities. A 'must' for any interested in open source who would understand its ongoing evolution and potential.

Open Source Software (OSS) has radically redefined the landscape of the software industry and the Information Technology field. As much a mindset as a methodology, there are many elements of OSS that draw some of the deepest thinkers of our field. You can find some of those essays in the book Open Sources 2.0 - The Continuing Evolution, edited by Chris DiBona, Danese Cooper, and Mark Stone. There's a little something here for everyone...

Contents:
Part 1 - Open Source - Competition and Evolution: The Mozilla Project - Past and Future; Open Source and Proprietary Software Development; A Tale of Two Standards; Open Source and Security; Dual Licensing; Open Source and the Commoditization of Software; Open Source and the Commodity Urge - Disruptive Models for a Disruptive Development Process; Under the Hood - Open Source and Open Standards Business Models in Context; Open Source and the Small Entrepreneur; Why Open Source Needs Copyright Policies; Libre Software in Europe; OSS in India; When China Dances with OSS; How Much Freedom Do You Want?
Part 2 - Beyond Open Source - Collaboration and Community: Making a New World; The Open Source Paradigm Shift; Extending Open Source Principles Beyond Software Development; Open Source Biology; Everything Is Known; The Early History of Nupedia and Wikipedia - A Memoir; Open Beyond Software; Patterns of Governance in Open Source; Communicating Many to Many
Part 3 - Appendixes: The Open Source Definition; Referenced Open Source Licenses; Columns from Slashdot; Index

As with all compilations from various writers and authors, it's not possible to have all the articles flow with the same voice and pace. And really, they shouldn't. You're looking to get a wide array of opinions and insights, not a blended mind dump from a single writer. Conversely, you'll find that some of the articles resonate with you, and others have you moving into scan mode to get to the next one. If you keep that in mind as you're working through the book, you'll get a lot more out of it.

For me, there were two areas that were enjoyable and valuable. The story of how Wikipedia went through growing pains and worked through rules and culture was interesting. Likewise, the story of Slashdot and how it got to what it is today is insightful. I still don't care for the site, but you can't argue it's effect in the technology world. The most thought-provoking essays for me revolved around the commoditization of software. Coupled with a different book I recently finished, I realize that certain software vendors are in a very precarious position, and they are following the same path that has led others to destruction as they attempt to hold on to what doesn't work any more. Those essays would have been worth the cost of the book alone to me...

If you're part of the OSS movement, or if you're trying to understand how it will affect your business, this is a good book to read and ponder...

Mark R. Hinkle's WINDOWS TO LINUX BUSINESS DESKTOP MIGRATION compares the potentials of Linux as a desktop operating system, contrasting the more common MS Windows operating environment and exploring how Linux holds advantages as a desktop program as well. Readers learn how a migration between the two is achieved and how IT managers can customize and devise strategies for strategic management of critical information, and receive discussions which focus on how Windows users would implement the Linux operating system.

Sooner or later you have to be thinking about moving Linux to the business desktop. The factors of software cost, of reliability, of virus protection have become so powerful that you have to at least think about it a little. You probably haven't done anything about it yet, but maybe it's time for a little investigation.

This book is an excellent place to start, and for two reasons.

First, you probably haven't started to play with Linus yet. You have your PC on your desk, it's (finally) working the way you want, you don't want to go put Linux on it and screw everything up. Solution: the CD included with this book has Linux on it in a version that will run off of the CD. You can start playing with Linux on your own desktop without screwing it up.

Second, the writer is oriented to thinking like managers. He discusses such things as the true cost of ownership. What does a visit from tech support really cost? What about the cost of a hit from a virus that puts your call center down? He talks about Linux, not as a teckie, but as a manager who really is concerned about his people getting some use out of their PC's.

This is a good place to at least start your thinking.

If you're considering a move to Linux for all or part of your computing needs, then Windows to Linux Business Desktop Migration is a welcome reference. After reading it, you will have a better understanding of your computing needs and how that translates to existing Linux solutions. In addition, you will be able to make informed decisions regarding Linux migration strategies and conduct additional, focused research as needed.

"Would't it be nice to be the only lemonade vendor in the middle of the desert," asks Hinkle. Obviously, the lemonade vendor in question is Microsoft, and if you are considering this book, then you realize vendor lock-in is a costly proposition. The book outlines the business case for Windows to Linux migration by emphasizing the cost savings, openness, and flexibility of Linux; however, Hinkle tempers his advocacy by addressing the reasons why some businesses should wait before moving individual services to Linux. In fact, the many ways Linux and Windows can exist in a heterogeneous network is an enlightening aspect of the book.

Hinkle's task is tough, but in the opening three chapters he gives a thorough analysis of the Windows to Linux migration process. As a result, you end up with a checklist of items that will help you successfully migrate to Linux, as well as guidance to help you determine what functions to move to Linux and when to move them.

The remaining chapters discuss deployment and support considerations for the actual migration. You will not find a step-by-step guide to installing and using software, but you will find a well versed overview of applications, Linux distributions, remote display technologies, and thin client computing. Hinkle clears the information gathering hurdle by providing an impressive collection of software reviews, including practical uses. He easily saves unfamiliar Linux users a hundred hours or more in research and analysis.

The Knoppix Live CD included with the book is an invaluable, low-risk tool to explore Linux. Many of the topics and software introduced throughout the book can be immediately tried by booting the Knoppix CD, which requires no changes to your system. The Knoppix Live CD itself is a testament to the power of Linux, and with Hinkle's guidance you know where to look for that power.

I'm a big fan of open source and virtualization, so I was probably predisposed to like this book, but it far exceeded my expectations.

By the way, this is a good looking book - the images here don't do it justice. Whoever was responsible for the cover deserves a nice bonus or promotion.

But on to the meat: I learned a lot here, and not just about Xen. Although it's obvious to me now, I never thought about the teaching opportunity presented by writing a paravirtualized kernel - since you aren't dealing with real hardware, a lot of the nastiness is taken away, leaving you free to concentrate on the more general OS issues. As the foreword points out, this book could be used as a text in an OS kernel course.

The author writes very well, and explains difficult concepts with grace and ease. This was very enjoyable to read, with (for me) just the right level of detail. Definitely recommended for anyone with an interest in kernel internals, and of course if you specifically need to know about Xen, this really is "The Definitive Guide".

This book is for anyone who wants to understand the inner workings of the Xen Hypervisor. There are also examples where to look at the Xen source code and some porting hints for bringing Xen to other platforms. If you look for a book about Xen administration or management then it is definitely not for you.

Expanding Choice: Moving To Linux And Open Source With Novell Open Enterprise Server by the team of Jason Williams, Peter Clegg, and Emmett Dulaney provides a detailed, hands-on guide to all of the technical and business benefits of implementing open source software in an enterprise environment, particularly when combined with select proprietary technologies. A review of the benefits and costs of both open source and closed source software systems is provided, as well as an analysis of the benefits of an approach that blends the choice and flexibility of open source with the reliability of Novell's proven networking software. This is an essential core addition to the Linux reference user's reference shelf.

You probably know that the major unix vendors, IBM, Sun and HP, are migrating their unixes to linux. But the smaller players are also doing so. Notably Novell, as described in this book.

The first 3 chapters are a good, vendor-neutral explanation of open source and why you might want to go with it. The advice is commendably objective. For these chapters alone, you may want to seriously consider getting the book.

The remainder of the book explains Novell's proprietary offerings. It suggests possible advantages in adopting their Open Enterprise Server. The level of discussion is moderately technical. Seems mostly directed as an overview for management.

En passant, I have to remark on a list of 10 reasons, given in chapter 4, claiming that Novell "is the best choice as a partner". One reason is "Novell has more resources and talent focused on delivering enterprise class linux and open source technologies than any other vendor". I am very dubious about this. IBM is much larger and has been offering this type of linux support for several years.

I think the author does a fine job of presenting what he set our to do. However, what he did is likely targeted to a rather narrow audience - one that I think could be broadened. I think an overview of IDEs suitable for the environment would have been more appealing than choosing one and relying on the specifics of it to demonstrate Agile Development. Same with the choice of revision control. If you are working in an environment with the author's choice of IDE and revision control, then you will likely be very content with the lack of overhead perhaps required by offering other tools. I don't use the author's choice of IDE or revision control and this does tend to infringe on the broader aspects of Agile Development applicable to many python development environments. You kind of have to parse through some really well-written work and say 'this would be great if it referred directly to my development environment.' I give kudos for the work but wish it were either expanded to hit a larger audience, or was appropriately abstracted to keep the tight flow, minus the specific tools.

I was not disappointed when I started reading this book.
The first chapter which covers the theory of "Agile Development", is just great.
Now, I am no agile programming expert. The only thing I currently do is write a lot unit tests. But I think I will take some advice for the future (like pair-p.) from this book.
The pace of the book is great (relief after the lutz books), and the authors personal experience in the field is both reassuring, encouraging and interesting.
Coming from a background of C#.NET I am glad that python is getting some help in IDE department and will certainly give some tools a try.
I love the book but YMMV.

Errata (apress does not provide one):
P.99: There is a mention of configure.py in the file list of svn with ? status. This file was never mentioned before.
Where did it come from and what does it represent???

p.109: " 'factory': f " should really be with "f1" at the bottom.

p.112: When issuing "create-slave" command the slave name used is "rsreader-linux"
whereas it was configured to be "slave-lnx01".

Edwards claims that his book is the first on using open source software to build robotic systems. The aim is to reduce the cost, as compared with using a commercial real time operating system. Hitherto, the latter has been the choice of many robotics designs.

He puts a lot of detail into the text, of how to use linux as the embedded operating system in the robot. To address the issue of whether linux is up to the demands of real time running. The ideal reader should be proficient both in linux device drivers and in constructing robots. The text is probably not ideal for someone new to either field.

To motivate the reader, Edwards provides several examples of functionalities to be built into the robots. Like being able to use GPS, which sounds quite neat.

Edwards does the reader a great service by going into why decisions are made. For example, Edwards leads you through the choice of which PC motherboard he was going to use for the project. His decisions and considerations were very insightful to me. Although the board(s) selected are now out of date according to the manufacturers, using his process will enable you to find motherboards to be able to handle the tasks in the book. Next, Edwards leads you through setting up Linux using BusyBox and how to divide the system up using a compact harddrive and a CompactFlash. All in all, while I consider myself an expert linux user, I found his coverage of material very interesting. Another keeper for my robotics bookshelf.

People no longer just search for information on the web. Now they provide information, too. These people include our students. The world has changed; students have changed, and traditional schools are no longer up to the task of educating young people for the future.

This is the argument of the book Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools. Although we're still in the early days of bringing together education and Web 2.0, there are good models of learning and technology use that point us in the right direction.

The authors provide examples of teachers who have guided their students to use Web 2.0 tools in creating a collaborative math solutions manual, an independent literature circle project, a collaborative guidebook about online security, for example.

Solomon and Schrum observe that, although young people may be ahead of their teachers in using these tools, teachers can help them use the tools in educationally appropriate ways.

I think it's a useful books for those who want to know more about web2 and desire to start using web2 in educational contexts especially in classes which creative writing and written collaboration is desired.

This book is great! Good writing, good exercises. Good for people who have some experience in programming. If you have never had any contact to other languages or logic, consider studying some introdutory topics before reading this book.

"This topic will be covered later in the book" is the phrase most often encountered in this book.
Funny - but even on page 593 (out of 635 where appendix begins) we still see "we'll meet such an example in Chapter 28".
It seems like if you take out all the phrases that promise you to explain things in the rest of the book, the book itself will thrink 1/4 of it's size. Why do I even need to be told that you will cover it later in the book - I ASSUME it will be covered if you mention it. If not - refer me to some other resource.
The phrase above is just an example of the writting-alota-words-to-fill-up-space style. The legacy seems to have been carried forward into programming python by the same author on which I am working now.
Unfortunately this seems to be the best book in it's class, and there really is nothing to compare it to (considering it covers python2.5).
Even though I was done with the book in few weeks, I would still have preferred a more concise and to-the-point text.

An excellent book for anyone new to both programming and the Python programming language.

If you want to learn how to program and are unsure where to begin, this book is definitely worth considering, both for it's concise, clear explanation of Python and programming concepts in general, and because the language Python is itself clear and concise.

Pros:
-Clear, concise
-Well written, decent pace
-Good intro for non-programmers
-Leads nicely into Programming Python and Python Cookbook
-Python itself is easy to learn, clear, and yet still powerful and cross-platform

Cons:
-Tends to drag in the beginning, spending too much time going over the details of the language instead of diving right into some useful code.
-NOT for programmers who have other language(s) under their belts. Consider Programming Python instead.

Like my title suggests, if you have programming experience and you do not mind or have little trouble reading the Python documentation in a online fashion then its probably not absolutely necessary that you have to buy the book.

However, the author is very good in instilling the nature of Python programming and he's good at getting you to think about the concepts but this book is definitely not a cookbook. Last thing is that it doesn't concentrate on the GUI nor library usage etc as it's mission is simply to teach you about the core of Python

This is a really good introduction to Python. It is very clear, accessible and has quite a lot of substantial content. It does not get into the really deep details, but that is OK because if it tried to the book would become overwhelming. On the other hand, unlike some python books it is not so light and superficial to be good for newbies only. I think this is a great starter book on Python.