"The Cathedral and the Bazaar" explains the differences between proprietary development and Open Source development; often referred to as an absolute must to understand open source.

This paper analyzes the evolving economic substrate of the open-source phenomenon. We first explode some prevalent myths about the funding of program development and the price structure of software. We present a game-theory analysis of the stability of open-source cooperation. We present nine models for sustainable funding of open-source development; two non-profit, seven for-profit. We continue to develop a qualitative theory of when it is economically rational to be closed. We then examine some novel additional mechanisms the market is now inventing to fund for-profit open-source development, including the reinvention of the patronage system and task markets. We conclude with some tentative predictions of the future.

Roberto Di Cosmo explains the dangers of proprietary software for computing science, preservation of data, and eventually liberty

What's the problem?
In short, most notebooks vendors sell a proprietary operating system (OS) with their notebooks, so that you are forced to buy commercial software even if you plan never to use it. If you contact a vendor before buying a notebook, they will not accept to sell a machine without an OS. Therefore, what you have to do is buy a notebook with a proprietary OS, overwrite it with the OS of your choice, and apply for a refund.
This article summarizes the legal situation in Switzerland and reports on various attempts to get a refund.

Eric S. Raymond explores the origins of the hacker culture, including prehistory among the Real Programmers, the glory days of the MIT AI Lab, and how the early ARPANET nurtured the first network nation. Storm clouds over Jupiter. He describes the early rise and eventual stagnation of Unix, the new hope from Finland, and how `the last true hacker' became the next generation's patriarch. He sketches the way Linux and the mainstreaming of the Internet brought the hacker culture from the fringes of public consciousness to its current prominence.

Microsoft reacts to a proposal of Free Software law in Peru. Here is the answer received by the General Manager of Microsoft Perú. A well-built and interesting argumentation.

In a proprietary and monitored world, Dan Halbert faces a cruel choice: refuse to lend his computer to the beautiful issa Lenz, amd thus condemn her to fail at her exams... or break the Law !

During the last few months, computer science giants have prepared the new technologies related to so-called "anti-piracy" and "security".

Richard M. Stallman, initiator of the GNU project, explains how these technologies hide features designed to make computers disobey their owner, and give the control to their creators.

An article to read if you don't want your future to be like 1984.