<sorry for any x-posting> Hi All, Please find details below on the following three papers. Many thanks to all the authors for their contributions. Please do provide them with feedback. Thanks Karim Paper 1 Lin, Yuwei Title: Gender issues in the FLOSS development http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/lin3_gender.pdf The FLOSS development is responding to the ICT development in various ways. This essay describes and analyses challenges (societal and organisational) and advantages (e.g. new models for mobile and collaborative work online), particularly regarding gender issues, encountered in the recent FLOSS development. The focus of the essay is not only on the claims made women in the existed FLOSS community about the tensions between male and female developers' interests and ways of doings, but also on the current obstacles against bringing more women, who are not technically competent, to participate in the FLOSS development. This paper concludes with suggestions on how to create rules and resources and the creation of a common FLOSS space for both genders. Paper 2 Author: Tuomi, Ilkka Title: The Future of Open Source http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/tuomi3_bookchapter.pdf Abstract: Open source has seen phenomenal growth in recent years. In many ways, it has been a great success story. Yet it is interesting to study the conditions that would enable the open-source movement to remain viable and thrive also in the future. This chapter explores the driving forces behind the open source model and its constraints, discussing both the factors likely to promote the continuous growth of the open-source movement and those that could lead to its downfall. Paper 3 Author: Klang, Mathias Title: Free software and open source: The freedom debate and its consequences http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_3/klang/index.html Abstract: To most outsiders the ethics of software is not something usually considered. To most proficient computer users with a passing interest in this question the ethics of software is recognised as one of the fundamental questions in the digital rights area. To most of the latter, terms such as free software, open source, and their derivatives (FLOSS, FOSS, Software Freedom) are interchangeable. Choosing one over the other is a matter of taste rather than politics. However, to most insiders the question is not one of taste. There is a fundamental difference between the two areas even if they share a similar root. Free software is not the same as open source. The two groups differ in their fundamental philosophical approach to software and its importance to society as a whole. This paper examines the two groups’ differing philosophies and explores how their actions have affected software development, access to fundamental software infrastructure, and the development of the concept of freedom. -- Karim R. Lakhani MIT Sloan | The Boston Consulting Group Mobile: +1 (617) 851-1224 http://spoudaiospaizen.net http://web.mit.edu/lakhani/www | http://opensource.mit.edu