Can Collaboration Engineering help Open Source Communities to structure their activities?

Collaborative work became an importantstake for productivity, performance andinnovation for companies. They bet more andmore on communities of practice to supportcollaboration, sharing and creation of knowledge.The goal of this paper is to analyze the possiblecontribution of the Collaboration Engineering inthe working of these communities, by taking asexample, the Open Source communities.Collaboration Engineering, communities of practice,collaboration, Open Source communities.

Exploring Strengths and Limits on Open Source Software Engineering Processes: A Research Agenda

Many researchers have investigated the nature and characteristics of open source software (OSS) projects and their developer communities. In this position paper, after examining some success factors, we discuss potential limits on the replicability and portability of OSS engineering processes. Based on this analysis, we propose a research agenda to better understand the current nature of the processes and thus the strengths and the limitations

Why open source software can succeed

The paper discusses three key economic problems raised by the emergence and diffusion of Open source software: motivation, coordination, and diffusion under a dominant standard. First, the movement took off through the activity of a software development community that deliberately did not follow profit motivations. Second, a hierarchical coordination emerged without the support of an organization with proprietary rights. Third, Linux and other open source systems diffused in an environment dominated by established proprietary standards, which benefited from significant increasing returns. The paper shows that recent developments in the theory of critical mass in the diffusion of technologies with network externality may help to explain these phenomena.Open Source, Diffusion, Network Externality.

Diffusion Dynamics of Open-Source Software in the Presence of Upgrades: An Agent-Based Computational Economics (ACE) Approach

Researchers have identified numerous factors that impact the diffusion of open source software (OSS). This paper proposes an integrated model that studies how key factors affect the diffusion dynamics of OSS. Specifically, we investigate the role of software upgrade cycle in the diffusion of OSS. We also incorporate factors such as variability in OSS support costs, interoperability issues and network structure that have not been systematically studied in prior OSS research. Our results demonstrate interesting effects of these factors on diffusion dynamics of OSS. Variability of OSS support costs, length of upgrade cycle and interoperability costs are identified as major determinants of OSS diffusion. The results illustrate that a proprietary software (PS) vendor should consider several other strategic variables besides price such as interoperability costs and upgrade cycle that affect OSS diffusion. The proposed model can be used as a building block to model competitive dynamics in software markets

Social Movements and Institutional Entrepreneurship as Facilitators of Technology Transition: The Case of Free/Open-Source Software

We integrate insights from the literature on social movements and institutional entrepreneurship into the strategic niche management (SNM) and multilevel perspective (MLP) frameworks to understand the emergence of Linux, a free/open-source operating system, in a regime dominated by proprietary operating systems such as Unix and Windows NT. Employing a “microhistories” methodology, we document how actors in the free/open-source movement took steps that enabled an alternate technological niche to form, gain momentum and eventually infiltrate the extant regime. Our account delineates the key role that actors play in shaping the identity of a niche, amplifying its presence, and finally mainstreaming it. We observe a heterogenous response by incumbents to the emergent niche and highlight the sustained coexistence of a niche and regime as a distinct form of technological transition. Finally, we demonstrate the significant impact that a niche can have, spanning beyond the targeted regime, and becoming part of the landscape. Our insights highlight how tracing the processes involved in the emergence and development of a niche can provide a prospective and generative understanding of technological transition, thereby contributing to and complementing the extant SNM and MLP literatures

Current trends in free software research

This report analyzes how scientific research is studying free software. We find which research is being done on free software by looking into scientific journals and conferences publications. The data thus obtained is analized and the most salient trends related to free software discovered. We also reviewed the main works published in each free software research area.Postprint (published version

An exploration of the diffusion dynamics of Open Source Software (OSS): An Agent-Based Computational Economics (ACE) approach

Despite the rising popularity of Open Source Software (OSS), there is limited understanding of the factors that affect the diffusion of OSS at the organizational level. Review of the literature suggests that previous empirical and analytical studies on this subject matter though valuable in their own respect, either did not address the full spectrum of critical factors in one model or did not investigate the impact of critical factors in enough detail leaving some gaps in the literature. In an effort to bridge these gaps, this dissertation develops a model to a) jointly investigate the effect of critical variables other than price on the diffusion dynamics of OSS, b) investigate the effects of social networks or inter-organizational relationships on the diffusion dynamics of OSS, c) propose a new software price discounting scheme and compare its effectiveness against traditional software price discounting schemes on the diffusion dynamics of OSS. An Agent-Based Computational Economics (ACE) approach is adopted to develop a comprehensive simulation model to investigate the aforementioned research problems. Although, desktop operating system software is used as an exemplar to investigate the diffusion of its open source and proprietary alternatives, the framework proposed in the dissertation is general enough to be applied in the investigation of diffusion of other kinds of software as well

Actor-network theory as an approach to social enterprise and social value: a case study of Ghanaian social enterprises

This thesis assesses the potential of actor-network theory (ANT) for conceptualising social enterprise by applying the concepts of assemblage and translation to the production of social values through three fieldsites studied in Ghana. Social enterprises are companies that use market-based revenues to generate social value while maintaining financial viability. Social entrepreneurship involves using and combining resources, expertise and networks in an innovative way to achieve social value. Finally, social value makes it possible to explore well-being and common good in ways that cannot be reduced merely to individual needs and wants or to monetary quantities. The present study examines social enterprises and social entrepreneurship through three case-studies and draws lessons from nine months of fieldwork in Ghana in 2004-2005. Using actor-network theory allows us to trace and follow the three social enterprises and social entrepreneurs beyond the conventional understanding of an enterprise or an economy. Measuring and evaluating the qualities of interactions aimed at enhancing social value, social enterprises create new identified objects and realities by involving the stakeholders, users and customers in the process, not just experts, economists and accountants. These pluralistic socio-technical objects are considered in this study as assemblages. The production of social values is studied through the notion of ‘translation’ where values are gradually articulated through different stages. These propositions are studied by way of a ‘test’ in all three cases, in which various assemblages are identified according to three themes. The first theme discusses information assemblages, which is seen as a source of problematisations; the second relates to spatial assemblages and how they facilitate new associations to emerge; the third theme is credit and money; and how actors use them to enrol new resources. Finally, these resources are evaluated using either internal or external measuring tools developed for the social enterprise sector. Social values emerge through the cyclical process

Inter-disciplinary study on open source software development in developing countries: a case study of Chinese Linux

This research provides a detailed account of Open Source Software (OSS) development in the context of developing countries (DCs) by exploring the specific case of Chinese indigenous Linux design and development. It builds an interdisciplinary, socio-technical, analytical framework from the perspective of science and technology studies (STS), in particular the social shaping of technology (SST), infrastructural studies and international technology transfer. It also covers the fields of economic analysis, policy studies and development studies. The research investigates the adaptation process of a unique OSS with infrastructural features – Linux in the context of China by conducting case studies on both embedded Linux and platform Linux products developed by two Chinese Linux providers. Drawing upon the concepts developed in the SST perspective and infrastructural studies, this research addresses both the dynamism and continuity of OSS. In order to avoid the shortcomings of existing social scientific study on OSS, we applied social and biography of artefacts (BoA) approaches to examine the evolution of Chinese Linux by mapping out the key actors, investigating the linkages between them, and probing deeply into the intricate interplays among these actors over time. A detailed longitudinal and contextual analysis has been undertaken through a qualitative historical case study of the evolution of both Chinese embedded Linux and platform Linux from 1998-2008. The empirical data reveals that the local adaptation and further innovation of Chinese Linux is a ‘generification’ process, i.e. a process of design and developing generic Linux solutions for diverse local users. Theoretically, the understanding of the socio-technical interfaces of the software (seeking, identifying, categorising local users/intermediaries, as well as collaborating with key players associated with the particular software) are central elements for software technology transfer and local technological capabilities building. The findings also throw the light on the crucial importance of government role in providing incentives and institutional measures for Linux adaptation in China. In particular, it highlights the challenges concerning the socio-technical specificities of infrastructural software, like Linux OS (operating system) and the particular relevance to DCs as technology adapters. Finally, this study throws light on the policy and practice for China’s future Linux development, and the implications for other DCs

Λογισμικό ανοιχτού κώδικα: διοίκηση, διάχυση και ανταγωνισμός

Στόχος της διατριβής είναι να συνεισφέρει στην έρευνα για το ανοιχτό λογισμικό μέσα από τη μελέτη της διάχυσής του, αλλά και των επιδράσεών της. Η έρευνα εστιάζει στην πορεία της διάχυσης μέσα στο χρόνο και προσδιορίζει και αποτιμά σχέσεις αιτίας και αποτελέσματος του φαινομένου. Αφενός, προσδιορίζονται και αποτιμούνται οι παράγοντες που επηρεάζουν την πορεία διάχυσης και τη βιωσιμότητα του ανοιχτού λογισμικού (σχέσεις αιτίας). Αφετέρου, μελετώνται οι επιπτώσεις (σχέσεις αποτελέσματος) της διάχυσης τόσο σε οικονομικό, όσο και σε κοινωνικο-πολιτικό επίπεδο. Στο οικονομικό επίπεδο, πραγματοποιείται ανάλυση της αγοράς λογισμικού και εξετάζεται η συμπεριφορά και η δομή της ως αποτέλεσμα όχι μόνο της εισόδου του ανοιχτού λογισμικού, αλλά και των επιχειρηματικών μοντέλων ανοιχτού λογισμικού. Στο κοινωνικό-πολιτικό επίπεδο μελετώνται οι επιδράσεις στο δημόσιο τομέα και ιδιαίτερα στην ηλεκτρονική διακυβέρνηση και εκπαίδευση. Οι προτεινόμενες μεθοδολογίες και μοντέλα, βασίζονται στις θεωρίες διάχυσης των καινοτομιών και αποδοχής των Πληροφοριακών Συστημάτων, αλλά και σε κοινωνικο-οικονομικέ θεωρίες. Η αποτίμηση των μοντέλων υλοποιείται με αυστηρό μεθοδολογικό πλαίσιο των μαθηματικών και της στατιστικής. Τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας παρέχουν ακριβείς, a-priori εκτιμήσεις της πορείας διάχυσης, του ανταγωνισμού και των σημείων ισορροπίας της αγοράς και μπορεί να αποβούν πολύ χρήσιμες σε ένα διαρκώς εξελισσόμενο και ανταγωνιστικό περιβάλλον, όπως αυτό της αγοράς ΤΠΕ.This PhD thesis aims to contribute to the open source software (OSS) research by studying the OSS diffusion and its economic, social and political implications. The research focuses on the process of diffusion over time and assesses relations of cause and effect. Firstly, it identifies and assesses the factors critical for the diffusion and sustainability of OSS (cause). Secondly, it assesses the economic and socio-political impact of the OSS diffusion (effect). An analysis of the software market and a deeper examination of the market behavior and structure is performed, as a result of both the OSS diffusion and its implications, that is the new OSS business models. In socio-political terms, the effects of OSS diffusion in the sectors of eGovernment and education are studied. The proposed models and methodologies are based on theoretical background that borrows elements from the theories of technology acceptance and diffusion of innovations, as well as from social and economic theories. The models’ evaluation is implemented with a rigorous methodological framework of mathematics and statistics. Results provide more accurate, a-priori estimations of the diffusion rate and the market competition and equilibrium tthatare especially helpful in a continuously evolving and competitive environment such as the ICT market