Charles M. Schweik and Robert C. English
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017251
- eISBN:
- 9780262301206
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017251.001.0001
- Subject:
- Information Science, Information Science
The use of open-source software (OSS)—readable software source code that can be copied, modified, and distributed freely—has expanded dramatically in recent years. The number of OSS projects hosted ...
More
The use of open-source software (OSS)—readable software source code that can be copied, modified, and distributed freely—has expanded dramatically in recent years. The number of OSS projects hosted on SourceForge.net (the largest hosting Web site for OSS), for example, grew from just over 100,000 in 2006 to more than 250,000 at the beginning of 2011. But why are some projects successful—that is, able to produce usable software and sustain ongoing development over time—while others are abandoned? This book, the product of a large-scale empirical study to look at social, technical, and institutional aspects of OSS, examines factors that lead to success in OSS projects and work toward a better understanding of Internet-based collaboration. Drawing on literature from many disciplines and using a theoretical framework developed for the study of environmental commons, it examines stages of OSS development, presenting multivariate statistical models of success and abandonment. The authors argue that analyzing the conditions of OSS successes may also inform Internet collaborations in fields beyond software engineering, particularly those which aim to solve complex technical, social, and political problems.Less
The use of open-source software (OSS)—readable software source code that can be copied, modified, and distributed freely—has expanded dramatically in recent years. The number of OSS projects hosted on SourceForge.net (the largest hosting Web site for OSS), for example, grew from just over 100,000 in 2006 to more than 250,000 at the beginning of 2011. But why are some projects successful—that is, able to produce usable software and sustain ongoing development over time—while others are abandoned? This book, the product of a large-scale empirical study to look at social, technical, and institutional aspects of OSS, examines factors that lead to success in OSS projects and work toward a better understanding of Internet-based collaboration. Drawing on literature from many disciplines and using a theoretical framework developed for the study of environmental commons, it examines stages of OSS development, presenting multivariate statistical models of success and abandonment. The authors argue that analyzing the conditions of OSS successes may also inform Internet collaborations in fields beyond software engineering, particularly those which aim to solve complex technical, social, and political problems.
Charles M. Schweik and Robert C. English
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017251
- eISBN:
- 9780262301206
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017251.003.0007
- Subject:
- Information Science, Information Science
This chapter examines the factors that determine the success or abandonment of open-source software (OSS) projects, focusing on the hosting web site SourceForge.net. It describes a theoretical ...
More
This chapter examines the factors that determine the success or abandonment of open-source software (OSS) projects, focusing on the hosting web site SourceForge.net. It describes a theoretical classification system for OSS commons, and presents the results of eight interviews with OSS developers to get opinions about definitions of success and abandonment. The chapter discusses the effects of technology, community, and institutions on OSS project success and abandonment.Less
This chapter examines the factors that determine the success or abandonment of open-source software (OSS) projects, focusing on the hosting web site SourceForge.net. It describes a theoretical classification system for OSS commons, and presents the results of eight interviews with OSS developers to get opinions about definitions of success and abandonment. The chapter discusses the effects of technology, community, and institutions on OSS project success and abandonment.
Sandra Haire
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017251
- eISBN:
- 9780262301206
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017251.003.0008
- Subject:
- Information Science, Information Science
This chapter examines factors that influence the success of open-source software (OSS) projects, focusing on SourceForge.net (SF). It analyzes the 2006 data set of 107,747 SF projects; asks whether ...
More
This chapter examines factors that influence the success of open-source software (OSS) projects, focusing on SourceForge.net (SF). It analyzes the 2006 data set of 107,747 SF projects; asks whether this data set captures any of the factors related to technology, community, and institutions; and considers whether any of these factors are more often associated with success or abandonment of OSS projects. The chapter shows that leadership, development team size, and user community size are more often associated with successful OSS projects.Less
This chapter examines factors that influence the success of open-source software (OSS) projects, focusing on SourceForge.net (SF). It analyzes the 2006 data set of 107,747 SF projects; asks whether this data set captures any of the factors related to technology, community, and institutions; and considers whether any of these factors are more often associated with success or abandonment of OSS projects. The chapter shows that leadership, development team size, and user community size are more often associated with successful OSS projects.
Charles M. Schweik and Robert C. English
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017251
- eISBN:
- 9780262301206
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017251.003.0009
- Subject:
- Information Science, Information Science
The Survey on Free/Libre and Open-Source Success, conducted in fall 2009 in collaboration with SourceForge Inc., the corporation that owns SourceForge.net (SF), sought to identify the factors which ...
More
The Survey on Free/Libre and Open-Source Success, conducted in fall 2009 in collaboration with SourceForge Inc., the corporation that owns SourceForge.net (SF), sought to identify the factors which determine the success or abandonment of open-source software (OSS) projects. This chapter describes the survey’s goals, one of which was to discover the principles of successful OSS collaboration. Another goal of the survey was to verify the role of vision, leadership, and utility in the initiation stage and building community in the growth stage.Less
The Survey on Free/Libre and Open-Source Success, conducted in fall 2009 in collaboration with SourceForge Inc., the corporation that owns SourceForge.net (SF), sought to identify the factors which determine the success or abandonment of open-source software (OSS) projects. This chapter describes the survey’s goals, one of which was to discover the principles of successful OSS collaboration. Another goal of the survey was to verify the role of vision, leadership, and utility in the initiation stage and building community in the growth stage.
Meng-Shiou Shieh
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017251
- eISBN:
- 9780262301206
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017251.003.0011
- Subject:
- Information Science, Information Science
This chapter examines the factors that determine the success or abandonment of open-source software (OSS) commons using well-established statistical techniques. It employs five independent variables ...
More
This chapter examines the factors that determine the success or abandonment of open-source software (OSS) commons using well-established statistical techniques. It employs five independent variables (software developers, tracker reports, page visits, forum posts, and Project Information Index) and analyzes 2009 data from the Notre Dame SourceForge.net repository. The chapter considers the initiation stage first, followed by the growth stage.Less
This chapter examines the factors that determine the success or abandonment of open-source software (OSS) commons using well-established statistical techniques. It employs five independent variables (software developers, tracker reports, page visits, forum posts, and Project Information Index) and analyzes 2009 data from the Notre Dame SourceForge.net repository. The chapter considers the initiation stage first, followed by the growth stage.
Charles M. Schweik and Robert C. English
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017251
- eISBN:
- 9780262301206
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017251.003.0012
- Subject:
- Information Science, Information Science
This study was motivated by the power of openness in combination with the Internet’s global reach and the potential of open-source software (OSS) to understand online collaboration. It looked at ...
More
This study was motivated by the power of openness in combination with the Internet’s global reach and the potential of open-source software (OSS) to understand online collaboration. It looked at theoretical factors that might be important for success or abandonment of OSS projects, and examined success and abandonment in the initiation stage and growth stage of project development. The study analyzed 2006 data from SourceForge.net and The Survey on Free/Libre and Open-Source Success to assess success and abandonment.Less
This study was motivated by the power of openness in combination with the Internet’s global reach and the potential of open-source software (OSS) to understand online collaboration. It looked at theoretical factors that might be important for success or abandonment of OSS projects, and examined success and abandonment in the initiation stage and growth stage of project development. The study analyzed 2006 data from SourceForge.net and The Survey on Free/Libre and Open-Source Success to assess success and abandonment.
Charles M. Schweik and Robert C. English
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262017251
- eISBN:
- 9780262301206
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262017251.003.0013
- Subject:
- Information Science, Information Science
This book has investigated the factors that lead some open-source software (OSS) commons to continued success and others to abandonment using data sets on SourceForge.net. By identifying these ...
More
This book has investigated the factors that lead some open-source software (OSS) commons to continued success and others to abandonment using data sets on SourceForge.net. By identifying these factors, it hoped to better explain not only OSS commons but also the power of openness, collaboration on the Internet, and collective action. The book explored motivations for participating in OSS development, the role of face-to-face meetings and social capital, group size involving the end user community, OSS institutions, open-content collaborations, marketing and open content, and politics and economics.Less
This book has investigated the factors that lead some open-source software (OSS) commons to continued success and others to abandonment using data sets on SourceForge.net. By identifying these factors, it hoped to better explain not only OSS commons but also the power of openness, collaboration on the Internet, and collective action. The book explored motivations for participating in OSS development, the role of face-to-face meetings and social capital, group size involving the end user community, OSS institutions, open-content collaborations, marketing and open content, and politics and economics.
