Succeeding with Open Source

Succeeding with Open Source presents a practical methodology for organizations using open source software. The book describes all aspects of open source products and the significant difference between open source and commercial software: while commercial software vendors deliver a mature product that includes software, training, documentation, support, and even professional services, open source software focuses on only software — users are expected to arrange for all other necessary product elements.

Succeeding with Open Source describes in detail how organizations can locate, assess, and select those elements. When selecting a software product, every pragmatic IT organization wants to know how mature the product is — how ready is it for the intended use? To help them answer that question about open source products, Succeeding with Open Source presents the Open Source Maturity Model (OSMM), a formal methodology to determine the maturity level of any given open source product. A sample OSMM assessment is included with the book to help readers see how the process may be easily applied and how it can help identify product strengths and weaknesses.

• Introduction
• Part I: Overview of Open Source
1. The Source of Open Source
• Executive Summary
• What Is Open Source
• Source Code Availability
• Zero Price Software
• Open Source: A Different Licensing Model
• Who Creates Open Source?
• Why Do Developers Work on Open Source?
• What Are Open Source Developers Like?
• How Do Open Source Developers Support Themselves?
• Implications of the BCG Survey
• Who Uses Open Source?
• Created by Volunteers, Not Employees
• Development Practices
• A Philosophy of Community
• Can Community Work?
• Where Do I Get Open Source Software?
• Individual Open Source Product Web Sites
• Open Source Portals
• Commercial Distributions
• The Challenge of Anonymous Distribution
• When and How Do I Use Open Source?
2. Open Source Business Models
• Executive Summary
• Early Open Source Business Models: By Enthusiasts for Enthusiasts
• The Next Model: Installation, Technical Support, and Consulting
• The New Models: Open Source as a Competitive Advantage
• Open Source Add-On Products
• Extended Open Source Products
• Hybrid Commercial/Open Source Products
• Business Models: The Bottom Line
3. Open Source Risks
• Executive Summary
• Licensing Risk
• What Went Before: Commercial Software Licenses
• Open Source Licenses
• Redistribution Responsibilities of Open Source Licenses
• Asymmetrical License Risk
• Addressing Open Source License Risk
• Security and Quality Risk
• What Problems Can Result from Security and Quality Risk?
• How Likely Are These Risks?
• Premature Commitment Risk
• Reducing Open Source Proliferation
• Unchanging Process Risk
• Part II: Selecting, Assessing, and Evaluating Open Source Software
4. The Open Source Maturity Model
• Executive Summary
• The Challenge of the Whole Product
• The Two Types of Technology Users
• What Technology Users Want from Their Vendors
• The Mature Product Dilemma: Pragmatists and Open Source
• What Is Product Maturity?
• Why Is Product Maturity Important?
• How Does Maturity Impact Open Source?
• The OSMM: An Overview
• Phase 1: Assess Element Maturity
• Phase 2: Assign Weighting Factors
• Phase 3: Calculate the Product's Overall Maturity Score
• The Purpose of the OSMM
• The OSMM Template
• JBoss: A Real-World OSMM Assessment
• How to Use the OSMM
• Recommended OSMM Scores
5. The Open Source Product
• Executive Summary
• Assessing Product Maturity: The Process
• Defining Organizational Requirements
• Put Together a Requirements Task Force
• Identify the Functional Requirements for the Product
• Document the Functional Requirements
• Locating Resources
• Search Open Source Project Portals
• Search the Web
• Ask Open Source Developers
• Post to Mailing Lists
• Ask Vendors
• Put Together a Candidate List
• Assessing the Functionality of the Product
• Assess the Product Based on Its Description
• Query the Developers
• Query the User Community
• Assessing Product Longevity
• Determining the Level of the Product's Longevity
• Assessing Product Quality
• Examine the Source Code
• Evaluate the QA Effort
• Assess the Activity Level of the Product
• Assessing the Product Team
• Examine the Size of the Project Team
• Examine the Skills and Experience of the Project Team Members
• Don't Be Afraid to Address This Issue
• Assigning a Product Maturity Score
• Assessing JBoss: Product Maturity
6. Open Source Technical Support
• Executive Summary
• The Two Types of Technical Support
• Doesn't Source Availability Mean Technical Support Doesn't Matter?
• Defining Technical Support Requirements
• Assess How Familiar the Organization Is with the Product or a Product Like It
• Assess How the Product Will Be Used
• Assess the Skill Levels and Attitude of the Individuals Using the Product
• Documenting Requirements
• Locating Resources
• Community Support
• Mailing List Protocol
• The Best Use of Mailing Lists
• Mailing List Benefits
• Mailing List Concerns
• How to Use Mailing Lists
• Mailing List Summary
• Paid Support
• Who Offers Paid Support?
• How Much Does Paid Support Cost?
• Who Uses Paid Support?
• Self-Support
• Assessing Technical Support Maturity
• Assessing Community Support
• Assessing Paid Support
• Assessing Self-Support
• Assesing a Technical Support Maturity Score
• Assessing JBoss: Technical Support
7. Open Source Documentation
• Executive Summary
• Defining Documentation Requirements
• Locating Resources
• Developer-Created Documentation
• Web Postings
• Commercially Published Documentation
• Assessing Documentation Maturity
• Assessing Reference Documentation
• Assessing Tutorial Documentation
• Assessing Usage Documentation
• Taking Advantage of the Community's Experience
• Assigning a Documentation Maturity Score
• Assessing JBoss: Documentation
8. Open Source Training
• Executive Summary
• Defining Training Requirements
• Locating Resources
• Option 1: Informal Web-Based How-To Examples Posted by Product Users
• Option 2: Developer-Created Online Tutorials
• Option 3: Commercially Published Tutorials
• Option 4: Classroom Training Developed and Delivered by the Open Source Development Team
• Option 5: Training Developed and Delivered by Commercial Entities
• Summary of Training Types
• Assessing Training Maturity
• Assigning a Training Maturity Score
• Assessing JBoss: Training
9. Open Source Integration with Other Products
• Executive Summary
• Integration: The Hidden Achilles Heel
• Challenges of Integration
• Challenges of Open Source Integration
• New Standards in Integration
• How Integration Standards Help Open Source
• Defining Integration Requirements
• Identify the Needed Integrations
• Locating Resources
• Identify Existing Integrations
• Create an Integration Plan for Missing Integration Mechanisms
• Identify Any Integrations That Cannot Be Created
• Assessing Source Integration Maturity
• Assigning an Integration Maturity Score
• Assessing JBoss: Integration
10. Open Source Professional Services
• Executive Summary
• Open Source Professional Services Overview
• Open Source and Professional Services
• Defining Professional Service Requirements
• Locating Resources
• Assessing Professional Services Maturity
• Assigning a Professional Services Maturity Score
• Assessing JBoss: Professional Services
11. JBoss Open Source Maturity Model Assessment
• Executive Summary
• Review of the JBoss OSMM Assessment
• JBoss Software
• JBoss Technical Support
• JBoss Documentation
• JBoss Training
• JBoss Integration with Other Products
• JBoss Professional Services
• Assessing the JBoss OSMM Score
• Comments on the OSMM Process

• Conclusions

An extremely well-written book, that manages to teach you something new (OSMM), as well as educate you in OSS and give a well-written and researched response to Carr's opinions as given in HBR.

What also make it stand out is that it is both well-researched and practical (and to top it of, very well-written). The only thing missing is a thorough review of the different OSS licenses and their implications.

Anyone that has to work in IT (both at a Management or a more hands-on level) has to consider this mandatory reading. In short, excellent reading.