378 research outputs found
Microstructure of Collaboration: The Network of Open Source Software
The open source model is a form of software development with source code
that is typically made available to all interested parties. At the core
of this process is a decentralized production process: open source
software development is done by a network of unpaid software developers.
Using data from Sourceforge.net, the largest repository of Open Source
Software (OSS) projects and contributors on the Internet, we construct
two related networks: A Project network and a Contributor network.
Knowledge spillovers may be closely related to the structure of such
networks, since contributors who work on several projects likely
exchange information and knowledge. Defining the number of downloads as
output we finds that (i) additional contributors are associated with an
increase in output, but that additional contributors to projects in the
giant component are associated with greater output gains than additional
contributors to projects outside of the giant component; (ii)
Betweenness centrality of the project is positively associated with the
number of downloads. (iii) Closeness centrality of the project appears
also to be positively associated with downloads, but the effect is not
statistically significant over all specifications. (iv) Controlling for
the correlation between these two measures of centrality (betweenness
and closeness), the degree is not positively associated with the number
of downloads. (v) The average closeness centrality of the contributors
that participated in a project is positively correlated with the success
of the project. These results suggest that there are positive spillovers
of knowledge for projects occupying critical junctures in the
information flow. When we define projects as connected if and only if
they had at least two contributors in common, we again find that
additional contributors are associated with an increase in output, and
again find that this increase is much higher for projects with strong
ties than other projects in the giant component
Adware, Shareware, and Consumer Privacy
Programmers can distribute new software to online users either for a fee
as shareware or bundle it with advertising banners and distribute it for
free as adware. In this paper we study the programmers' choice between
these two modes of distribution in the context of a model that take
explicit account of the strategic interaction between programmers who
develop software, firms that advertise their products through ad
banners, and consumers who buy software and consumer products. Adware
allows advertisers to send targeted information to specific consumers
and may therefore improve their purchasing decisions. At the same time,
adware also raises privacy concerns. We study the effect of programmers'
choice between shareware and adware on consumers' welfare through its
effect on the beneficial information that consumers receive about
consumers products on the one hand and their loss of privacy on the
other hand. We also examine the implications of improvements in the
technology of ad banners and the desirability of bans on the use of adware
The Incentive To Participate In Open Source Projects: A Signaling Approach
This paper examines the incentives of programmers to contribute to open
source software projects on a voluntary basis. In particular, the paper
looks at this incentive changes as (i) performance becomes more visible
to the relevant audience, (ii) effort has a stronger impact on
performance, and (iii) performance becomes more informative about
talent. In all three cases, it is shown that whether we start from a
stable interior equilibrium or an unstable interior equilibrium
IBPP Research Associates: Israel/Lebanon
This article is an interview interview carried out by Mr. Gil Grein--an undergraduate in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University\u27s Science, Technology, and Globalization program and an IBPP Research Associate--with Dr. Nadav Morag, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Tel Aviv University. The two discuss the ramifications of pulling Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon. Conflict participants include: Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Southern Lebanese Army (SLA), Hezbollah, and United Nations forces
IBPP Research Associates: Israel
The is article is an interview with Dr. Nadav Morag, Department of Political Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel 69978, Fax: +972-3-6409515. The interview was carried out by IBPP research associate Gil Grein, and it focused on United States Vice Presidential Candidate Joseph Lieberman\u27s religious affiliation with Orthodox Judaism
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