It's never clear who this book is for. If it's for people who are "in" the field, the content is 95% common knowledge (common in the field, that is), and a couple decent observations that could have been done in an online blog post or a magazine article-length essay. If it's for people who are not in the field, it's just boring. Every single thing the author looks at, it's either "different for every project" or "beyond the scope of this book".
Beyond the scope of the book are some interesting things that needed to be in the book. The central underlying axiom is that Github is the pinnacle of where open source is happening, and nothing will replace that. Except that some of the most widely used open source software pieces are not on Github, or use Github as a mere repository out of convenience. No space is given to dive into how for-profit, commercial companies "interface" with open source in so many ways. And the notion that code does not have monetary value is simply laughable.
Instead of looking at anecdotes that are more amusing than illuminating, the narrative needs to span the history of free software and open source from the early days. In depth, and not just in passing. The author's own experience with open source does not mark the "true" beginning of the story. It might be for the author personally, but the "book" reads more like a hastily-slapped together high school essay that needed to fill the page quota.
Every single chapter is, unfortunately, a disappointment. There are, as I mentioned, a couple of decent observations that hold right now, in this very moment. But there's no meat. No substance. No narrative. Nothing to chew on. Nothing that keeps you thinking and coming back to it after you're done with it.
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From the Publisher
From the introduction
Until recently, information was good, and more information was better. If the free exchange of ideas formed the basis of a flourishing society, then we had a moral imperative to connect more people to one another.
The spirit of openness lasted more than 200 years. We championed the value of literacy and education. We built roads, bridges, and highways that brought together previously isolated communities. We careened toward the new millennium, flushed with the global triumph of Western liberal democracy.
Then we hit a snag. Suddenly, there was too much information. Too many notifications made us want to check them less. Too many social interactions made us want to post online less frequently. Too many emails made us not want to answer. Our online public lives became too much to handle, causing many of us to shrink back into our private spheres.
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A must-read in open source software communities"Working in Public is the fantastic follow-up to Roads and Bridges, and shows how Nadia's scope has widened and thoughts have evolved since the first book. A must-read for anyone interested in open source software communities." —Mike McQuaid, engineer at GitHub and Homebrew maintainer |
The definitive book on the dynamics of online creative communities"Nadia writes from a unique perspective at the intersection of open source, economics, and poetry. This is the definitive book on the dynamics of online creative communities." —Nat Friedman, CEO of GitHub |
An anthropological dive into the stories of real developers"In the age of information abundance, we're all maintainers now. Working in Public is an anthropological dive into the stories of real developers, providing us a lens of open source with which to ask new questions. Nadia presents us with a book not focused on just money, licenses, or code but for all of us who make, as creators of all kinds." —Henry Zhu, open source maintainer, Babel |
About the author
Nadia Eghbal is a writer and researcher who explores how the internet enables individual creators. From 2015 to 2019, she focused on the production of open source software, working independently and at GitHub to improve the open source developer experience. She is the author of Roads and Bridges: The Unseen Labor Behind Our Digital Infrastructure, published by the Ford Foundation, where she argued that open source code is a form of public infrastructure that requires maintenance.
About the publisher
Stripe Press publishes books about economic and technological advancement. Stripe partners with hundreds of thousands of the world’s most innovative businesses—organizations that will shape the world of tomorrow. These businesses are the result of many different inputs. Perhaps the most important ingredient is "ideas." Stripe Press highlights ideas that we think can be broadly useful. Some books contain entirely new material, some are collections of existing work reimagined, and others are republications of previous works that have remained relevant over time or have renewed relevance today.
Other titles by Stripe Press:
- High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil
- The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop
- Stubborn Attachments by Tyler Cowen
- The Revolt of the Public by Martin Gurri
- An Elegant Puzzle by Will Larson
- Get Together by Bailey Richardson, Kevin Huynh, and Kai Elmer Sotto
- The Making of Prince of Persia by Jordan Mechner
- The Art of Doing Science and Engineering by Richard W. Hamming
About the author
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Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2020
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Top reviews from other countries
KeefBaker
Open door on open source
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2020Verified Purchase
amacater
Interesting - clearly written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2020Verified Purchase
Ibrahim Cesar
Grande leitura
Reviewed in Brazil on October 19, 2020Verified Purchase
tanmay pai
Incredibly insightful!
Reviewed in India on August 26, 2020Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
An enjoyable and informative book
Reviewed in Canada on February 23, 2021Verified Purchase
