Open Source Reading List

The Architecture of Open Source Applications spans two books in which the authors of four dozen open source applications explain how their software is structured, and why. What are each program's major components? How do they interact? And what did their builders learn during their development? In answering these questions, the contributors to these books provide unique insights into how they think.

If you are a junior developer, and want to learn how your more experienced colleagues think, these books are the place to start. If you are an intermediate or senior developer, and want to see how your peers have solved hard design problems, these books can help you too.

Practical Open Source Software Exploration is a textbook that teaches the basic skills of open source development incrementally, through real involvement in meaningful projects, for students and self-learners.

Open Advice is a knowledge collection from a wide variety of Free Software projects. It answers the question what 42 prominent contributors would have liked to know when they started so you can get a head-start no matter how and where you contribute.

Producing Open Source Software is a book about the human side of open source development. It describes how successful projects operate, the expectations of users and developers, and the culture of free software.

The OpenMRS Developers' Guide was created for people who are curious about becoming a developer using our software. (OpenMRS is an open-source electronic medical records platform.) This book serves as a quick guide for you to learn more about our history, what OpenMRS does, and understand more about how our community works. If you find yourself eager to get started, we've also included some practical advice on specific steps you can take right away to start doing development with the OpenMRS platform.