Forge Your Future with Open Source
Build Your Skills. Build Your Network. Build the Future of Technology.
by VM (Vicky) Brasseur
Version: P1.0 (October 2018)
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Table of Contents
Copyright 2018, The Pragmatic Bookshelf.
Early praise for Forge Your Future with Open Source
This book has needed to exist for a long time. Newcomers to free and open source software now have a thorough guide to participation, and the authors real-world experience shows on every page. Among the books strengths is that it not only explains what steps to take (and their variants), but also shows new contributors how things look from the projects point of view. I hope and expect to see this book referred to by contributors to projects across the internet.
Karl Fogel |
Partner, Open Tech Strategies, LLC |
If you ever wished you could have a compendium of HOWTO open source from one of the most knowledgeable folks in this biz, this is the book for you. Vicky is an absolute gem and has successfully distilled decades of knowledge into an easy-to-access format that should be required reading for anyone wanting to get into FOSS.
Katie McLaughlin |
Director, Django Software Foundation, Python Software Foundation |
The next time someone tells me they want to learn more about open source, Ill have the perfect book recommendation. Vicky has written the concise, practical guidebook we were missing. Forge Your Future with Open Source is an excellent quick-start guide for anyone stepping into the world of open source.
Rikki Endsley |
Community Manager, Opensource.com, Red Hat |
Wonderfully readable, not only as a practical manual, but as an engaging and inspirational introduction to the world of free software, one practical and people-oriented example at a time. This is the book I wish I had read many years ago.
Chris Lamb |
Debian Project Leader |
Ive been working in open source for almost two decades. I went to Microsoft a decade ago to open-source .NET and C#. I wish Id had a copy of VMs book. This book offers valuable historical context and practical guidelines on how and when to work on an Open Source project. Forge Your Future with Open Source will no doubt empower the next generation of contributors and Im envious of their bright futures!
Scott Hanselman |
Program Partner Manager, Open Source .NET, Microsoft |
Vickys book is the Goldilocks guide to participating in open source: just the right information, with neither too much obscure detail nor too little actionable advice. I look forward to recommending it to others.
Cat Allman |
Board Member, USENIX |
Contributing to a free software project is one of the best ways to help the free software movement, and this book is the comprehensive, self-contained guide you need to get started. Brasseur skillfully balances depth and breadth, homing in on key points around the mechanics of contributing as well as the oft-neglected meta areas of effective communication, licensing, and employment ramifications.
John Sullivan |
Debian Developer |
Forge Your Future with Open Source goes where no book has gone before, clearly teaching how to get started as a contributor to open source, explaining why contributing is valuable and rewarding, and exploring the technical and social challenges both new and experienced contributors face, in an honest and practical way.
Allison Randal |
Board Member, Open Source Initiative |
In her inimitable style, VM Brasseur brings a useful cheat sheet for contributing to free and open source software. There is probably something in this book for everyone to learn.