[Fsfe-ie] Call for Chapters: Handbook of Research on Open Source Software -Technological, Economic, and Social Perspectives

[teresahackett at eircom.net]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[techfunders] "Handbook of Research on Open Source Software: 
Technological, Eco nomic, and Social Perspectives"

CALLS FOR CHAPTERS

For the Edited Collection
"Handbook of Research on Open Source Software: Technological, Economic, and
Social Perspectives"

Edited by Kirk St.Amant and Brian Still, Texas Tech University

SUBMISSION DEADLINE OCT. 1, 2005

INTRODUCTION
The decision to purchase or to use a particular software product can be the
choice that results in the success or the failure of an organization. For
this
reason, decision makers at different levels and in a variety of fields need
to
understand the factors that contribute to the effective adoption and use of
software products. Open source software (OSS) is increasingly viewed as a
viable option that can allow a variety or public and private organizations
to achieve their desired goals. OSS adoption and use, however, is
complicated by the social agendas and the economic goals many individuals
attach to the use of OSS materials.

OBJECTIVE OF THE BOOK
The purpose of this handbook is to provide readers with a foundational
understanding of the origins, operating principles, legalities, social
factors,
and economic forces that affect the uses of OSS. For this reason, the
proposed
handbook would focus on areas and concepts essential to understanding when
and
how various organizations should adopt OSS. Chapters would present short
(3,500-5,000 word), focused perspectives on a particular aspect of OSS
adoption
and/or use. Such perspectives would be designed to help businesspersons,
researchers, and other decision makers make more informed choices that would
facilitate the ease and effectiveness with which their organization used or
interacted with OSS products.

TARGET AUDIENCE FOR THE HANDBOOK
The target audience for this handbook would be five groups that would use
this
text for a variety of reasons.

??? Executives, manager, and administrators in business, government, and
education, and academia

??? Researchers investigating the history, uses, and perspectives (social
and
economic) related to OSS

??? Librarians working for corporate, government, or educational
organizations

??? Graduate instructors and graduate students in MIS, MBA, and PhD programs

??? Individuals in organizations that have adopted or are considering
adopting OSS for certain activities

Recommended Topics
Prospective subject areas and specific topics for this publication include,
but
are not limited to, the following

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE
??? Presenting a history of the hacker: From MIT to today
??? Discussing free software, Richard Stallman, and GNU: A history and a
look at
influences on OSS
??? Overviewing the development of Linux (or history of development of
other free
software/OSS tools)
??? Overviewing the history of OSS
??? Annotated bibliography (bibliographies) of different online or print
sources
on OSS

OSS CULTURE AND PRACTICES: DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS
??? Defining who the OSS developer/hacker is (motivations, influences,
skills,
demographics)
??? Defining what OSS culture is
??? Examining how OSS projects work: Explaining how they differ from
proprietary
projects
??? Explaining differences in object code vs. source code

COMPARISONS AND EVALUATIONS OF OSS TO OTHER PRODUCTS
??? Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of OSS in comparison to
Proprietary
Software
??? Reviewing OSS development model vs. proprietary software development
model
??? Comparing OSS developer to proprietary software developer
??? Reviewing customer service, customer support and OSS
??? Evaluating OSS content management systems (CMS): How do you know which
one to
choose?
??? Examining desktop publishing: What OSS alternatives exist to Windows?
Drawbacks? Future Trends?
??? Examining OSS security systems

BUSINESS CASES AND INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS OF OSS
??? Discussing what is needed to use OSS? Staffing requirements, on-site
technical
expertise, budget, etc.
??? Examining how should OSS be evaluated??"when do you know you should
adopt or
pass on OSS?
??? Presenting case studies of OSS evaluation and adoption
??? Overviewing the Apache Internet Server and its strong niche in the
market
??? Discussing profitable OSS business models: Case studies or other models
successful OSS use
??? Reporting on IBM and support of OSS
??? Discussing how OSS threatens Microsoft, and/or how Microsoft responds
to this
threat
??? Applying OSS business models outside of software in other industries:
What
examples already exist?
??? Besides Linux, what other examples of OSS successes exist?

LICENSING AND LEGALITIES RELATED TO OSS
??? Explaining GPL and Copyleft??"the first license: define it, explain how
it
works, address controversy
??? Overviewing and comparing the most popular OSS licenses
??? Creative Commons, copyrighting documentation, non-software creative work
??? Discussing which license to choose: What does the user need to know?
??? Comparing OSS licensing to Proprietary Software Licensing
??? Examining license proliferation: Why are there so many licenses and what
problems can this cause?
??? Exploring licensing choices: Benefits and limitations of OSS licenses
??? Overviewing licensing and product development: What does the user need
to
know?
??? Ripping multimedia: The Copyright Problems Related to OSS Use
??? Privacy, Security, and Surveillance: Cryptography and Government Control
??? Whose Code is it Anyway? The conflict between SCO and Linux
??? Explaining intellectual property issues involving copyleft and the GPL,
or of
OSS in general

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES AND DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO OSS USE
??? The EU??(tm)s Adoption of OSS: A Model for the Future?
??? Culture and Coding: Can We Create International Standards for OSS Use?
??? Wiring the World: The Role of OSS in Shrinking the Global Digital Divide
??? What nations are using OSS and why?
??? International nature of OSS development (e.g., outsourcing, free trade,
cultural barriers)
??? Is Europe and other nations outside the US more OSS friendly? Why or
why not?
??? OSS and global democracy (tools like Camera/Shy and Peekabooty)
??? Legislative acts, OSS, and the free sharing of information in other
nations
??? Case studies of OSS implementation overseas (i.e., governments,
companies, or
organizations)

EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS OF OSS
??? Uses of OSS to enhance learning (i.e., Moodle, Drupal)
??? Case studies of OSS alternatives used instead of proprietary software
??? MIT and open courseware
??? Claroline and the Packaging of Distance Education for Online Students
??? Blogging as Educational Activity

GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-PROFIT APPLICATIONS OF OSS
??? Examining OSS Use at the Federal and the Local Levels
??? Getting the Word Out: Government Uses of OSS to Interact with Citizens
??? The Security Factor: National Defense, OSS, and Terrorist Networks

PERSPECTIVES FOR THE FUTURE OF OSS USE
??? Shifting the Model: Will OSS Become a For-Profit Industry?
??? Development Practices: How Will the Code Be Created?
??? Culture and Code: Projections on OSS and Global Computer Use

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
Authors are invited to submit chapter proposals (one, single-spaced page
maximum) on or before October 1, 2005. In their proposal, perspective
authors
should clearly explain
??? The purpose and the contents of their proposed chapter
??? How their proposed chapter relates to the overall objectives of the book

Authors will be notified of the status of their proposal and sent chapter
organization guidelines by October 30, 2005. Drafts of chapters will be due
by
February 15, 2006.

Please send inquiries or submit material electronically (Rich Text files) to
both editors at kirk.st-amant at ttu.edu and brian.still at ttu.edu

This book is tentatively scheduled for publishing by Idea Group Reference
(an imprint of Idea Group Inc.) <www.idea-group.com> in Spring 2007.

_______________________________________________________________

For all list information and functions, including changing
your subscription mode and options, visit the Web page:
    http://list.nten.org/lists/info/techfunders