Internet success : a study of open-source software commons /

Why do some open-source software (OSS) projects succeed while others fail? In Internet Success, Schweik (Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst) and English (computing consultant) describe the results of their exhaustive study of the factors that come together to create success or cause failure, exploring government, commercial, and academic interests. The book is composed of 13 chapters organized into four parts. The one chapter in part 1 provides foundational material and introduces basic terminology. The four chapters in part 2 focus on the academic community and its significant role in OSS development. Part 3 contains seven chapters. The first four present the details of the authors' study of OSS; the last three are a critical analysis of the study, requiring a slow, careful review by readers. The single chapter in part 4 puts the study into perspective. The authors caution readers to be careful about generalizing from the successes and failures of OSS development and applying the lessons learned to other large-scale global projects that employ digital technology and Internet solutions. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. J. Beidler University of Scranton