Enterprise IoT

This book project is an experiment in open publishing. Instead of working on a manuscript behind closed doors for months before publishing it, our intention is to make the editing process as open and collaborative as possible. In order to achieve this, we have decided on an “online first” approach in combination with crowdsourcing and open source:

• Online first: The complete book is created and published online. The creation process is transparent, which means that while we work on the next release, you will see all Work in Progress (WIP) online. The commercial eBook and print editions are taken from the online content. The online edition will always be publicly available for free, even after the eBook and print editions are released. The online version contains additional content. For example, some interviews will be shortened for the eBook and print editions, but the full interviews will be available online.
• Crowdsourcing and community: A better term would actually be “expert sourcing”, since we are collaborating with a large number of very experienced subject matter experts in the different disciplines that are relevant to the IoT. The most active contributers form what we call our Community. They are all personally introduced in the Community Overview.
• Some restrictions: The online edition has a commenting feature which is open to everybody. We will try to incorporate all feedback as best we can, but at least initially reserve the right to make some editorial decisions for the purposes of consistency and better readability. In addition, some of the content has to be approved by the legal departments of the companies we work with. This content will have restricted access until it is approved.
• Open source: A key element of the book is the Ignite | IoT Methodology. We will submit the complete methodology (Part II of the book) and all related documents (e.g. related Word and PPT templates for Ignite) to the Eclipse Foundation as an open-source project (approval pending). We have chosen the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY 3.0). This means that you can share, copy, and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Also, since we did not use the ShareAlike version, you can remix, transform, and build upon the material, without having to make these contributions public. We feel that there might be situations where this is too limiting, although we do appreciate any contributions that are made public. In addition, the license mandates that “You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.” (CC BY 3.0).
• Releases and editions: A key advantage of the “online first” approach is that it will enable us to follow the fast-moving world of the IoT in a flexible way. This release concept is taken from the world of software development. Minor releases will be made available as eBook editions only, with major releases released in the form of eBook and print editions.