Software Development: An Open Source Approach

by Allen B. Tucker Jr., Ralph Morelli, Chamindra de Silva

To understand the principles and practice of software development, there is no better motivator than participating in a software project with real-world value and a life beyond the academic arena. Software An Open Source Approach immerses students directly into an agile free and open source software (FOSS) development process. It focuses on the methodologies and goals that drive the development of FOSS, combining principles with real-world skill building, such as debugging, refactoring, and writing. The text explains the software development process through an integration of FOSS principles, agile techniques, modern collaboration tools, community involvement, and teamwork. The authors highlight the value of collaboration as a fundamental paradigm for software development. They show how an effective development team can often create better quality software than an individual working in isolation. Written by experienced software developers and educators, this book enables students to gain a rich appreciation of the principles and practice of FOSS development. It also helps them become better writers, programmers, and software community members. Web Resource provides a wealth of

Genres: Computer Science

400 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2011

About the author

Allen B. Tucker Jr. is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor Emeritus at Bowdoin College. He has held similar faculty positions at Georgetown and Colgate Universities. He earned a BA in mathematics from Wesleyan University and an MS and PhD in Computer Science from Northwestern University. He is an ACM Fellow and Distinguished Lecturer.

Professor Tucker has publications in the areas of programming languages, software development, natural language processing, and curriculum development. He has been a Fulbright lecturer at the Ternopil Academy in Ukraine, and a visiting lecturer at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, Esigelec in France and Boston University in Germany. He is currently an active open source software developer and an advisory board member for the Humanitarian FOSS Project.