The Hacker Ethic, by Pekka Himanen

This book is already a classic, in that it explains much of the differences we are beginning to see in the world of software and beyond.

Unsurprisingly, the basis for much of the book revolves around Free Software and Open Source Software, yet there's more to it than this - it's almost as if the book itself is leaning toward Lessig's book, 'Free Culture' (Remixed HTML version here). There is a lot of sheer common sense applied rigorously in the book, as related to how we look at software, business models, and the very 'work ethic' which people in their 30s and above have grown up with - and how it's all changing.

Considering when the book was written, Himanem's accuracy has been proven on a few points related to how businesses will be structure in the beginning of this millenium. It's worth reading to see what else he is right about.

The Hacker Ethic and the Spirit of the Information Age