Forge Your Future with Open Source

by V.M. (Vicky) Brasseur, Brian MacDonald

Free and open source is the foundation of software development, and it’s built by people just like you. Discover the fundamental tenets that drive the movement. Take control of your career by selecting the right project to meet your professional goals. Master the language and avoid the pitfalls that typically ensnare new contributors. Join a community of like-minded people and change the world. Programmers, writers, designers, and everyone interested in software will make their mark through free and open source software contributions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Programming, Technology, Software, Computer Science

98 pages, ebook

Published January 31, 2018

Reviews

[Patrick Coakley]

I don't really want to rate this book because I'm not sure I was the kind of person who Forge Your Future With Open Source was targeting. As someone who has used FOSS for a large part of their life, it was hard for me to really get a lot out of this book. I feel like a lot of time is spent explaining the nature of open-source, giving a broad overview of how projects work, what the expectations are for new contributors, and how to pick a project to work on. I think even if you're just a consumer of free and open-source software, a lot of the information presented here is something you can kind of figure out with very little difficulty.

I was really hoping for some detailed accounts of what it was like contributing to some projects, or maybe examples of how a community or contribution might have changed over time, but instead the author explicitly wants to generalize the advice as much as possible. In the age of GitHub/GitLab/BitBucket, contributing to open-source isn't really nearly as difficult as it was in the past, and so I think this book's content feels too watered down to really make it a worthwhile read for folks already aware of these things. However, I can see the appeal if you were trying to explain how open-source works to a non-technical person, or even someone who works in software development but doesn't really understand the process, reasoning, or effort that goes into open-source.

[rixx · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Forge Your Future with Open Source** by *VM Brasseur* was a book I started with incorrect expectations: I thought I was the target group, and it would explain different things from its actual content. Bummer.

But regardless: This is an excellent book for people who want to start contributing to Open Source projects and haven't had anything to do with Open Source culture so far. It explains a bit of necessary history, and then has detailed advice on how to find a project to contribute to, set reasonable expectations, and how to actually contribute. The contents range from an explanation of licenses to how to produce a well-formed commit. I think the most helpful parts are all the scattered bits of explanations of Open Source project expectations, and the typical spectrum a newcomer will probably encounter. So if you want to get started with OS, or know somebody who does, this book should be very helpful – if you prefer learning from verbose instructions, that is. Obviously, this style is not for everybody. But if diving directly into a project with all its conventions and implicit assumptions seems too scary, this book is a good place to get started.

[Giustino Borzacchiello · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was OK, I read through it really fast, and I learned something about the parts of creating an open source project that I didn't know about (like the licensing part, or the community management aspects).

There were certain points where I felt like it was repeating itself, especially at the beginning, but overall it's an OK book if you really don't know what Open Source is and how it could be beneficial for you.

[Brian Salehi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really the right book to pick if you want to dive into the world of open source.

[Federico · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written and well-thought out guide on how to get involved in free and open source software (FOSS), useful for anyone who intends to dedicate considerable time to FOSS or who relies on it for work. It's going to be especially useful for those who have little experience on the people skills/social side needed for a public project.

VM Brasseur is a long-time authority in the field and has carefully selected advice which will remain relevant for a long time.

(The only significant change since 2018 is that nowadays some more popular public forges have thankfully emerged beyond GitLab, GitHub and Bitbucket: in a book published today I might expect a mention of Codeberg/Forgejo.)

[Salvatore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't believe I was in the target audience of this book.

Said that, I liked it. I appreciate a more "humanistic" approach in encouraging new contributors to understand the underlying social constructs of a open source project.

Software is made for people, by people. Too many times programmers tend to approach only the technical side of a problem.

This book doesn't present any recipes to "succeed" with open source, but instead it gives an overview of the open source and free software ecosystem, including the history and the philosophy of the movements.

It's also packed with good advice, however tailored for the uninitiated.

[Benson Imoh, ST · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can understand why some Experienced Developers or Contributors to FOSS in the reviews give less than 5-stars. When you have the kind of experience that they have, your expectations on these kind of subject matters tend to be very high.

If you're just beginning your journey in Open Source - even if you're an experienced developer - this book will be very helpful. For one thing; it helped me navigate the murky waters of LICENCES.

You can find the information in the book anywhere on blogs and articles. But having everything curated and simplified in one place - this book - flattens the rather steep learning curve and saves you time.

It is worth 5-stars.

[Don Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very written book and a must read if you're interested at all in open source and open source projects. Vicky Brasseur has done a masterful job of presenting a complex subject in an interesting and creative way. If you want a quick introduction to Github, Gitlab, pull requests, open source terminology and open source licensing along with common sense community participation then this book is a must read for you.

[David Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beta copy. It had about four or five chapters missing. I'll revisit it later in the year.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic resource. Brasseur has laid out not only the entirety of the scaffolding around contribution, but also writes the how of business contribution, something not at all talked about.

[Robbie Engler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely learned a few critical things and I'm glad I picked up this book. Felt a little verbose. Useful for a newcomer like me.

[Ankit Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucidly written yet covering almost all aspects of contribution to an open source project. Way to go, Vicky!

[Armin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book after reviewing the suggested books on open source by the Linux Foundation/Todo Group. I was looking for a primer to understand best practices for using open source being part of a company that looks to release an open source project. While this books is geared towards individuals that want to contribute, I still very valuable perspectives and there is a whole chapter on starting open source as a company.