A dialectic view on Open Innovation

The paradigm of Open-Innovation allows software companies new forms of interactive innovation and its diffusion across socio-cultural boundaries. This process constitutes and is constituted by a heterogeneous network of interacting actors. In this interaction, seeds for innovation will be created and have to be adopted by the participants of the respective network. This paper studies the concept of Open Innovation from a dialectic perspective on innovation seeds, which regards diffusion and adoption as intertwined. Traditionally, innovation research mainly focuses on transferring processes, but in order to reflect on the interactive character of Open Innovation across socio-cultural boundaries, one has to enlarge this perspective. In this paper we have developed a theoretic model which integrates also the aspect of translation and transformation. Based on this theoretical understanding we have figured out competences to adopt innovation seeds that have been developed in a crosscultural setting. At the end of the paper we show how this model can be used to study empirically the behavior of a software company adopting externally created seeds

Open source software ecosystems quality analysis from data sources

Background: Open source software (OSS) and software ecosystems (SECOs) are two consolidated research areas in software engineering. The adoption of OSS by firms, governments, researchers and practitioners has been increasing rapidly in the last decades, and in consequence, they find themselves in a new kind of ecosystem composed by software communities,foundations, developers and partners, namely Open Source Software Ecosystem (OSSECO). In order to perform a systematic quality evaluation of a SECO, it is necessary to define certain types of concrete elements. This means that measures and evaluations should be described (e.g., through thresholds or expert judgment). The quality evaluation of an OSSECO may serve several purposes, for example: adopters of the products of the OSSECO may want to know about the liveliness of the OSSECO (e.g., recent updates); software developers may want to know about the activeness (e.g., how many collaborators are involved and how active they are); and the OSSECO community itself to know about the OSSECO health (e.g., evolving in the right direction). However, the current approaches for evaluating software quality (even those specific for open source software) do not cover all the aspects relevant in an OSSECO from an ecosystem perspective. Goal: The main goal of this PhD thesis is to support the OSSECO quality evaluation by designing a framework that supports the quality evaluation of OSSECOs. Methods: To accomplish this goal, we have used and approach based on design science methodology by Wieringa [1] and the characterization of software engineering proposed by M. Shaw [2], in order to produce a set of artefacts to contribute in thequality evaluation of OSSECOs and to learn about the effects of using these artefacts in practice. Results: We have conducted a systematic mapping to characterize OSSECOs and designed the QuESo framework (a framework to evaluate the OSSECO quality) composed by three artifacts: (i) QuESo-model, a quality model for OSSECOs; (ii) QuESoprocess, a process for conducting OSSECO quality evaluations using the QuESo-model; and (iii) QuESo-tool, a software component to support semi-automatic quality evaluation of OSSECOs. Furthermore, this framework has been validated with a case study on Eclipse. Conclusions: This thesis has contributed to increase the knowledge and understanding of OSSECOs, and to support the qualityevaluation of OSSECOs. [ntecedentes: el software de código abierto (OSS, por sus siglas en inglés) y los ecosistemas de software (SECOs, por sus siglas en inglés) son dos áreas de investigación consolidadas en ingeniería de software. La adopción de OSS por parte de empresas, gobiernos, investigadores y profesionales se ha incrementado rápidamente en las últimas décadas, y, en consecuencia, todos ellos hacen parte de un nuevo tipo de ecosistema formado por comunidades de software, fundaciones, desarrolladores y socios denominado ecosistema de software de código abierto. (OSSECO, por sus siglas en inglés)). Para realizar una evaluación sistemática de la calidad de un SECO, es necesario definir ciertos tipos de elementos concretos. Esto significa que tanto las métricas como las evaluaciones deben ser descritos (por ejemplo, a través de datos históricos o el conocimiento de expertos). La evaluación de la calidad de un OSSECO puede ser de utilidad desde diferentes perspectivas, por ejemplo: los que adoptan los productos del OSSECO pueden querer conocer la vitalidad del OSSECO (por ejemplo, el número de actualizaciones recientes); los desarrolladores de software pueden querer saber sobre la actividad del OSSECO (por ejemplo, cuántos colaboradores están involucrados y qué tan activos son); incluso la propia comunidad del OSSECO para conocer el estado de salud del OSSECO (por ejemplo, si está evolucionando en la dirección correcta). Sin embargo, los enfoques actuales para evaluar la calidad del software (incluso aquellos específicos para el software de código abierto) no cubren todos los aspectos relevantes en un OSSECO desde una perspectiva ecosistémica. Objetivo: El objetivo principal de esta tesis doctoral es apoyar la evaluación de la calidad de OSSECO mediante el diseño de un marco de trabajo que ayude a la evaluación de la calidad de un OSSECO. Métodos: Para lograr este objetivo, hemos utilizado un enfoque basado en la metodología design science propuesta por Wieringa [1]. Adicionalmente, nos hemos basado en la caracterización de la ingeniería de software propuesta por M. Shaw [2], con el fin de construir un conjunto de artefactos que contribuyan en la evaluación de la calidad de un OSSECO y para conocer los efectos del uso de estos artefactos en la práctica. Resultados: Hemos realizado un mapeo sistemático para caracterizar los OSSECOs y hemos diseñado el marco de trabajo denominado QuESo (es un marco de trabajo para evaluar la calidad de los OSSECOs). QuESo a su vez está compuesto por tres artefactos: (i) QuESo-model, un modelo de calidad para OSSECOs; (ii) QuESo-process, un proceso para llevar a cabo las evaluaciones de calidad de OSSECOs utilizando el modelo QuESo; y (iii) QuESo-tool, un conjunto de componentes de software que apoyan la evaluación de calidad de los OSSECOs de manera semiautomática. QuESo ha sido validado con un estudio de caso sobre Eclipse. Conclusiones: esta tesis ha contribuido a aumentar el conocimiento y la comprensión de los OSSECOs, y tambien ha apoyado la evaluación de la calidad de los OSSECOsPostprint (published version

Open source software ecosystems quality analysis from data sources

Background: Open source software (OSS) and software ecosystems (SECOs) are two consolidated research areas in software engineering. The adoption of OSS by firms, governments, researchers and practitioners has been increasing rapidly in the last decades, and in consequence, they find themselves in a new kind of ecosystem composed by software communities,foundations, developers and partners, namely Open Source Software Ecosystem (OSSECO). In order to perform a systematic quality evaluation of a SECO, it is necessary to define certain types of concrete elements. This means that measures and evaluations should be described (e.g., through thresholds or expert judgment). The quality evaluation of an OSSECO may serve several purposes, for example: adopters of the products of the OSSECO may want to know about the liveliness of the OSSECO (e.g., recent updates); software developers may want to know about the activeness (e.g., how many collaborators are involved and how active they are); and the OSSECO community itself to know about the OSSECO health (e.g., evolving in the right direction). However, the current approaches for evaluating software quality (even those specific for open source software) do not cover all the aspects relevant in an OSSECO from an ecosystem perspective. Goal: The main goal of this PhD thesis is to support the OSSECO quality evaluation by designing a framework that supports the quality evaluation of OSSECOs. Methods: To accomplish this goal, we have used and approach based on design science methodology by Wieringa [1] and the characterization of software engineering proposed by M. Shaw [2], in order to produce a set of artefacts to contribute in thequality evaluation of OSSECOs and to learn about the effects of using these artefacts in practice. Results: We have conducted a systematic mapping to characterize OSSECOs and designed the QuESo framework (a framework to evaluate the OSSECO quality) composed by three artifacts: (i) QuESo-model, a quality model for OSSECOs; (ii) QuESoprocess, a process for conducting OSSECO quality evaluations using the QuESo-model; and (iii) QuESo-tool, a software component to support semi-automatic quality evaluation of OSSECOs. Furthermore, this framework has been validated with a case study on Eclipse. Conclusions: This thesis has contributed to increase the knowledge and understanding of OSSECOs, and to support the qualityevaluation of OSSECOs. [ntecedentes: el software de código abierto (OSS, por sus siglas en inglés) y los ecosistemas de software (SECOs, por sus siglas en inglés) son dos áreas de investigación consolidadas en ingeniería de software. La adopción de OSS por parte de empresas, gobiernos, investigadores y profesionales se ha incrementado rápidamente en las últimas décadas, y, en consecuencia, todos ellos hacen parte de un nuevo tipo de ecosistema formado por comunidades de software, fundaciones, desarrolladores y socios denominado ecosistema de software de código abierto. (OSSECO, por sus siglas en inglés)). Para realizar una evaluación sistemática de la calidad de un SECO, es necesario definir ciertos tipos de elementos concretos. Esto significa que tanto las métricas como las evaluaciones deben ser descritos (por ejemplo, a través de datos históricos o el conocimiento de expertos). La evaluación de la calidad de un OSSECO puede ser de utilidad desde diferentes perspectivas, por ejemplo: los que adoptan los productos del OSSECO pueden querer conocer la vitalidad del OSSECO (por ejemplo, el número de actualizaciones recientes); los desarrolladores de software pueden querer saber sobre la actividad del OSSECO (por ejemplo, cuántos colaboradores están involucrados y qué tan activos son); incluso la propia comunidad del OSSECO para conocer el estado de salud del OSSECO (por ejemplo, si está evolucionando en la dirección correcta). Sin embargo, los enfoques actuales para evaluar la calidad del software (incluso aquellos específicos para el software de código abierto) no cubren todos los aspectos relevantes en un OSSECO desde una perspectiva ecosistémica. Objetivo: El objetivo principal de esta tesis doctoral es apoyar la evaluación de la calidad de OSSECO mediante el diseño de un marco de trabajo que ayude a la evaluación de la calidad de un OSSECO. Métodos: Para lograr este objetivo, hemos utilizado un enfoque basado en la metodología design science propuesta por Wieringa [1]. Adicionalmente, nos hemos basado en la caracterización de la ingeniería de software propuesta por M. Shaw [2], con el fin de construir un conjunto de artefactos que contribuyan en la evaluación de la calidad de un OSSECO y para conocer los efectos del uso de estos artefactos en la práctica. Resultados: Hemos realizado un mapeo sistemático para caracterizar los OSSECOs y hemos diseñado el marco de trabajo denominado QuESo (es un marco de trabajo para evaluar la calidad de los OSSECOs). QuESo a su vez está compuesto por tres artefactos: (i) QuESo-model, un modelo de calidad para OSSECOs; (ii) QuESo-process, un proceso para llevar a cabo las evaluaciones de calidad de OSSECOs utilizando el modelo QuESo; y (iii) QuESo-tool, un conjunto de componentes de software que apoyan la evaluación de calidad de los OSSECOs de manera semiautomática. QuESo ha sido validado con un estudio de caso sobre Eclipse. Conclusiones: esta tesis ha contribuido a aumentar el conocimiento y la comprensión de los OSSECOs, y tambien ha apoyado la evaluación de la calidad de los OSSECO

La santé des écosystèmes logiciels à code source ouvert : une revue de littérature systématique

Un logiciel à code source ouvert (LCSO) ou Open Source Software est un logiciel dont le code source est accessible et modifiable par quiconque, et dont la licence assure que ce code demeure dans le domaine public. Le développement des LCSO a connu une montée fulgurante au cours des deux dernières décennies. Étant considérés comme un élément clé de l’écosystème logiciel à code source ouvert (ECLSO), les projets de LCSO abondent et deviennent de plus en plus essentiels et indispensables pour les systèmes utilisés par plusieurs organisations à l’échelle mondiale. L’évolution rapide de la recherche sur les ECLSO a permis de nombreuses contributions significatives. Cependant, cette croissance suscite des interrogations et interpelle la communauté des chercheurs et praticiens en ce qui concerne la santé de ces ECLSO. Qu’adviendrait-il s’ils se dégradaient ou cessaient d'exister ? Dans le but de mieux comprendre comment ce domaine a été abordé dans littérature, nous avons effectué une revue de littérature systématique descriptive afin d’avoir un aperçu des études qui ont été faites dans ce domaine. Au total, 98 articles ont été retenus dans notre échantillon et les résultats de notre analyse de ces articles montrent que la recherche dans ce domaine est encore immature. Il n’existe pas encore de consensus quant à la définition de la santé, ni à celle de l’écosystème logiciel, ni d’outils adéquats pour appuyer l’évaluation de la santé des ELCSO. Notre étude a révélé qu’aucun auteur n’a réellement défini ce que c’est que la « santé d’un ELCSO ». Néanmoins, certains aspects de la santé ont été étudiés pour divers composants d’un ELCSO. Notre revue de littérature permet de souligner que le domaine offre de réelles opportunités pour des recherches futures.Open Source Software (OSS) is software whose source code is accessible and modifiable by anyone, and whose license ensures that this code remains in the public domain. The development of OSSs has skyrocketed over the past two decades. As a key component of the Open Source Software (OSS) ecosystem, OSS projects abound and become increasingly essential and indispensable for various systems used most organizations worldwide. The rapid evolution of OSS ecosystem research has resulted in many significant contributions. However, this growth raises questions and challenges the community of researchers and practitioners as far as health of these OSS ecosystem is concerned. What would happen if they deteriorated or ceased to exist? To better understand how researchers addressed this area, we conducted a descriptive systematic literature review to gain insight into the studies that have been done in this area. In total, 98 articles were selected in our sample and the results of our analysis of these articles show that research in this area is still immature. There is still no consensus on the definition of health, the software ecosystem, nor adequate tools to support the health assessment of the ELCSO. Our study revealed that no author has really defined the "health of an OSS ecosystem". Although some aspects of health have been studied for various components of an OSS ecosystem, our literature review highlights that the field offers real opportunities for future research

On the Socio-Technical Dependencies in Free/Libre/Open Source Software Projects

During the course of the past two decades, Open Source Software (OSS) development model has lead to a number of projects which have produced software that rivals and in some cases even exceeds the scale and quality of the traditional software projects. Among others, Eclipse, Apache, Linux, and BSD operating system are representative examples of such success stories.However, OSS project like traditional in-house projects, often pose the potential for enormous problems, whose effects run the gamut from immense cumulative delay through complete breakdown and failure. This situation is evident, as OSS development is a socio-technical endeavor and is non-trivial. Such development occurs within an intensively collaborative process, in which technical prowess must go hand in hand with the efficient coordination and management of a large number of social, inter-personal interactions across the development organization. Furthermore, those social and technical dimensions are not orthogonal. It has been recognized that the structure of a software product and the layout of the development organization working on that product correlate.Therefore this thesis argue that a comprehensive understanding on the sustainable evolution of OSS projects can be gained through the examination of the mutual influence of social and technical dimensions in OSS development. Thus, the goal of this thesis is the verification and reasoning of the following proposition,“The evolution of the Open Source Software (OSS) project is constrained by the non-orthogonal evolution of Social and Technical dimensions (often termed as Socio-Technical dependency) of such projects”.In concrete terms, this thesis investigates and measures empirically the extent to which the two dimensions of OSS projects, social and technical, approximate and influence each other during the evolution of the projects. Perceived insight is then used to build proposals that would provide empirical basis to frame theory around the affirmed proposition.Moving towards this goal, this thesis proposes models, methods, frameworks and tool supports to measure, assess, and reason the socio-technical dependency within OSS project context. The starting point is to propose a data model to mimic the social and technical dimensions and their inter-relationships. This model is instantiated through the repository data of OSS projects that represent each of these dimensions. Then, methods and a mathematical model are proposed to derive dependency between the two dimensions, and to utilize them in measuring socio-technical dependency quantitatively. These proposals are then put into practice within distinct OSS project contexts to empirically measure and investigate socio-technical dependency. Along the process, frameworks, architectural design and corresponding tool implementations are provided to automate the analysis and visualization of such dependency.Reported results suggest that high degree of socio-technical congruence can be considered as the implicit underlying principle for building team collaboration and coordination within the developer community of long lived OSS projects. Even being highly distributed community of developers, and mostly using passive communication channels, OSS communities are tied together by maintaining task dependent communication. Such communication is often ad-hoc, adaptive and situated as it cope with rapid and continuous changes in the underlying software.Additionally, collaboration among projects are significantly influenced by the resembling properties among the projects. Resembling properties (e.g., project domain, size, and programming language) often form a favorable ground, thus creating a stimuli for developers to participate in those projects

Analysis of Coordination Between Developers and Users in the Apache Community

OSS 2008 : Open Source Development, Communities and Quality, September 7-10, 2008, Milano, ItalyCoordination is one of the keys for the success of open source software (OSS) communities because geographically distributed members need to collaborate on their work using communication tools (e.g., mailing lists, bulletin board systems, bug tracking systems, and so on). In this paper, we investigated the informal social structure among developers and users by analyzing two mailing lists of developers and users in the Apache community based on betweenness centrality, one centrality measure proposed by Freeman. From the analysis results, we found that (1) participants with high betweenness coordinated activities between developers and users and (2) some participants have been functioning as coordinators in the community for a long time