Module: Open Source Software

How to participate effectively in open source software development.

Dates: Mon, Jul 19 - Fri, Jul 23

Learning Outcomes

Use and develop open source software appropriately

Readings

Guided tour of the open source software module

Why, what, how, and when you will learn about open source software.

Open Source Software

History of open source, licenses, prime directives, how to participate effectively

Understanding Open Source Licensing

Short summary of copyright, copyleft, and the motivation for open source licenses.

Choose a (open source) license

Simple overview of several open sources licenses and their implications.

How to ask questions the smart way

The classic guide to how to participate in the open source community effectively

The Cathedral and the Bazaar

“I anatomize a successful open-source project, fetchmail, that was run as a deliberate test of some surprising theories about software engineering suggested by the history of Linux.”

Experiential Learning

E07: Reflect on smart questions

Use Stack Overflow to find smart and not-smart questions

Assessments

A02: Assess your ability to write effectively about open source software

Can you explain what, why, where, and how?

Outcome(s) assessed: Use and develop open source software appropriately