Conditions for open source as a signalling device

Open source projects produce goods or standards that do not allow for the appropriation of private returns by those who contribute to their production. In this paper we analyze why programmers will nevertheless invest their time and effort to code open source software. We argue that the particular way in which open source projects are managed and especially how contributions are attributed to individual agents, allows the best programmers to create a signal that more mediocre programmers cannot achieve. Through setting themselves apart they can turn this signal into monetary rewards that correspond to their superior capabilities. With this incentive they will forgo the immediate rewards they could earn in software companies producing proprietary software by restricting the access to the source code of their product. Whenever institutional arrangements are in place that enable the acquisition of such a signal and the subsequent substitution into monetary rewards, the contribution to open source projects and the resulting public good is a feasible outcome that can be explained by standard economic theory

Enforcing open source software licenses as a contributor

The importance of open-source software licenses has increased over recent years. One reason for the trend is the companies are more and more interested in open-source software. At the same time, with the increased use of the open-source license also disputes relating to them have increased. In my master thesis, I aim to discover who and within which limitations can raise a claim in the case of open-source software license infringement. Main research questions in my thesis are what are requirements for the open-source software project contributor to raise a claim in case of license infringement and on the other hand in which extend the contributor can raise a claim. The thesis also discovers whether every contributor has to be involved in raising the claim and running the case in the court. In other words, the question is whether one contributor may run the case on behalf of all contributors as a class action or some else way. Another perspective in the thesis is in which form the contributor have copyrights to the open-source code they have contributed. It is discovered whether source code is considered as collective work, jointly authored work or adaptive work when contributions are made over time. The thesis covers both relevant Finnish and European Union legislation. Also, some US legislation and case law are included as a preference because contributing open-source projects is an international phenomenon. The thesis also discovers what are the differences between legal and technical perspective when it comes to the open-source software development process and its result, the software. The outcome of the thesis is that every contributor has to take part in the infringement dispute process because it is not possible to run class action about an intellectual property dispute. There is also no way to move right to raise a claim to someone other with the contract, and therefore, that kind of action is not possible in license infringement cases either. One point which is also noticeable is that to get the right to raise a claim; the contributor must contribute to the project such that the contribution is intellectual enough to be alone protected with the copyright.Avoimen lähdekoodin lisenssien merkitys ohjelmistotuotannossa on kasvanut viime vuosina. Syynä tähän on ollut yritysten kasvanut kiinnostus avointa lähdekoodia kohtaan. Samalla, kun avoimen lähdekoodin ohjelmistojen käyttö on lisääntynyt myös niihin liittyvät lisenssiriidat ovat lisääntyneet. Tutkielmassa tarkoituksena on selvittää kuka ja missä laajuudessa voi nostaa kanteen lisenssirikkomuksen sattuessa. Tutkielman keskeisimpinä tutkimuskysymyksiä käsittelevät sitä, miten avoimen lähdekoodin sovelluksen kehittämiseen osallistunut henkilö voi lähteä ajamaan kannetta lisenssin loukkaustilanteessa ja toisaalta, mitkä ovat edellytykset tälläisen kanteen nostamiselle. Selvitettävänä on täytyykö kaikkien kehittäjien osallistua kanteen nostamiseen ja sitä mahdollisesti seuraavaan oikeusprosessiin vai voiko yksi kehittäjistä ajaa asiaa kaikkien puolesta esimerkiksi joukkokanteena. Tutkielmassa käsitellään myös sitä, millaisen kokonaisuuden avoimen lähdekoodin ohjelmisto muodostaa tekijänoikeusnäkökulmasta. Tässä erityisenä tutkimuksen kohteena on se, muodostuuko ohjelmistosta yhteisteos, kokoelmateos vai muunnettu teos, kun sen kehittämiseen osallistuu useita kehittäjiä mahdollisesti eriaikoina. Tutkielma keskittyy Suomen ja Euroopan Unionin lain säädäntöön, mutta eräissä kohdissa myös Yhdysvaltojen lainsääntöä on käytetty vertailukohtana sillä avoimen lähdekoodin sovellusprojektit ovat yleensä kansainvälisesti kehitettyjä. Tutkielmassa tutkitaan myös, miten oikeustieteellinen näkökulma avoimen lähdekoodin sovelluksen syntymisestä poikkeaa teknisestä näkökulmasta ohjelmiston synnystä. Tutkielma päätyy johtopäätökseen, että jokaisen avoimen lähdekoodin kehittäjän tulee omalta osaltaan ajaa kannetta lisenssiehtojen rikkomistilanteessa, koska suomalainen lainsäädäntö estää joukkokanteen nostamisen muissa kuin kuluttajansuojariidoissa ja lisäksi myöskään kanneoikeuden siirtäminen sopimuksen avulla ei ole mahdollista. Kanneoikeutta rajoittaa myös se, että kehittäjän panoksen ohjelmistoon täytyy itsessään olla sellainen, että se ylittää ohjelmiston lähdekoodille asetetun teoskynnyksen

Chinese temple networks in Southeast Asia: A WebGIS Digital Humanities Platform for the collaborative study of the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia

Ministry of Education, Singapore under its Academic Research Funding Tier

Quality and Profits Under Open Source Versus Closed Source

The open source model of software development has received substantial attention in the industry and popular media; nevertheless, critics frequently contend that open source software are inferior in quality compared to closed source software because of lack of incentives and project management, while proponents argue the opposite. This paper examines this quality debate by modeling and analyzing software development under open and closed source environments. The results show no dominant quality advantage of one method over another under all circumstances. Conditions under which each method can generate higher quality software are examined

Civic Networks of the Srem District – Overcoming or Indicating the Digital Divide?

The phenomenon of digital divide has been examined recent years from many different viewpoints. There is still a variety of definitions and a range of propositions for its examination and measuring. According to the OECD reports: “digital divide refers to the gap between individuals, households, business and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard both to their opportunities to access information and communication technologies and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activities”. Civic networks are regarded as one of such activities, where the Internet has been used to reflect civic life of the particular region. Measuring the digital divide is mainly based on comparative statistics, primarily in an international context. In this paper, results of qualitative observations of the civic networks are considered as a possible indicator of the digital divide overcome in a regional context

IMPLEMENTASI METODE BUSINESS TO COSTUMER PADA SISTEM INFORMASI TOKO KGS RIZKY MOTOR

Implemantasi Business To Costumer (B2C) merupakan bagian e-commerce dalam bentuk jual-beli produk yang melibatkan perusahaan penjual yang secara online melalui media website. Sistem yang sedang berjalan saat ini masih menggunakan sistem manual atau offline. Ini terjadi apabila pelanggan konsumen membeli produk sparepart harus datang langsung ke tokonya. Pada implementasi business to customer ini pada Toko Kgs Rizky Motor berupa online melalui media website yang mencakup berbagai informasi bagi pelaku consumer tentang penjualan sparepart secara online, dapat menampilkan produk-produk sparepart, cara pembelian pemesanan, keranjang belanja, catalog, akun pengusaha dan kontak pengusaha. Pada penelitian ini konsep tahapan-tahapan menggunakan metode waterfall dengan mengikuti alur proses analisis kebutuhan, desain sistem, coding dan implementasi, penerapan dan pemeliharaan.. Hal ini juga memakan waktu biaya yang dikeluarkan bisa jadi lebih tinggi. Dengan salah satu upaya adanya menggunakan implementasi E-Commerce business to customer diharapkan terus meningkatkan pelaku konsumen yang terjangkau dan memudahkan pelaku konsumen ingin membeli produk sparepart tanpa harus datang langsung ketoko pada saat jam tertentu. Hal ini dapat membantu menghemat biaya yang dikeluarkan. Sistem informasi yang dibangun mengimplementasikan tahapan-tahapan pengembangan dengan bahasa pemrograman PHP dengan Adobe Dreamweaver CS 5 dan My SQL menggunakan XAMPP

Patenting Cryptographic Technology

The policy concerns intersecting patent law and cryptographic technology relate to the technology\u27s beneficial uses in securing information in a commercial and social fabric that increasingly relies on computing and electronic communications for its makeup. The presence of patenting in a technology can impact diffusion of interoperable technology. Standardized embeddable cryptography facilitates its supply. Patent law for several decades has waxed and waned in its embrace of software implemented inventions rooted in abstract ideas such as the mathematics and mathematical algorithms underlying modern cryptography. This article documents the growth of cryptographic patenting. Then, in light of this growth and patent law\u27s resulting shadow on the technology, it discusses implications for data security. These implications include both collaborative and contentious responses by the technology providers and distributors furthering cryptography in the information technology ecology