CSI2911

Assignment 3

30 marks, 15% of final grade

Due in class: March 16, 2009

Late policy: 10% off per day (-3 marks).

Assignments more than 4 days late will not be accepted and will receive a mark of 0.

You must hand in a hard-copy directly to the TA or Professor.

Send an electronic copy as well, if you are late and not able to hand the assignment in during class.

Leanne Seaward, 5^th floor site Mailbox: 125, lspra072@uottawa.ca

Liam Peyton: SITE 5-074, lpeyton@site.uottawa.ca

A) Writing  - 10 marks, 2 marks for each of the following:

· Spelling

· Grammar

· Clarity of writing

· Efficiency of writing

· Elegance / Effectiveness of writing

B) Content – 20 marks

All answers must be in full sentence, essay form, with a clear structure, and sound reasoning from facts and principles.

1. 10 marks

Choose an existing piece of software that is of interest to you, and study the development history of the software.   This could be:

• Software that you were personally involved in developing.
• Well known open-source software with a well publicized history like: FireFox, Eclipse, Apache
• Well known proprietary software with a well publicized history like: MS Windows, Apple Safari, Adobe Acrobat

Then, choose 4 of the 19 rules from the paper, “The Cathedral and the Bazaar” by Eric Raymond and use them to analyze the keys to success (or failure) of the software.  Your answer should include the following:

· A brief introduction to the software (with references) which explains why you are interested in the software.  Include a brief history or timeline of the development of the software. 

• Then for each of the 4 rules you have chosen:
• Identify the rule and why it is relevant to your project
• Explain, with a clear example, how following (or not following) the rule contributed to the software’s success (or failure) in some way.

2. 10 marks

Research the issues surrounding the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) project.  Assume that you are responsible for the project, and the project is starting today.  Identify the 3 most important requirements, in your opinion, that must be met for the project to be a success.  For each requirement, clearly explain (ideally with references and supporting arguments)

• Why it is important.
• How you would objectively measure whether that requirement had been met by the project five years from now.
• Identify a technical issue that could stand in the way of meeting the requirement.  Briefly explain why it is an issue and discuss how it could be addressed.
• Identify a non-technical issue that could stand in the way of meeting the requirement.  Briefly explain why it is an issue and discuss how it could be addressed.