An open source primer

Design projects come in all sizes. Many interaction designers have responsibility for a part of a larger application; many have sole responsibility for the overall experience of an application; and many have responsibility for the care and nurturing of a user experience, where others are free to chime in and change things. This last point reflects the nature of open source: You never know what someone will think up next, or how someone may change what you have already done.

Working successfully as a designer in an open source project means a huge amount of freedom and a lot of homework. You can do almost anything the technology will permit, because that's the point: It's an open and collaborative environment, where anyone can make a contribution. But it's not without rules, and that's where the homework comes in. For designers, it's imperative to understand where the flexibility lies and where the rules apply.

The articles in this section address project management, licensing options, and some of the community issues around open source software from experts working in this field. We also have a case study from the OpenOffice project and a technical introduction to SMIL, an open format for interactivity. We extend our sincere thanks to all of our contributors, and we hope you enjoy this exploration into open source.