@conference {Sharma:2017:IDE:3084226.3084271,
	title = {Investigating Developers{\textquoteright} Email Discussions During Decision-making in Python Language Evolution},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering},
	series = {EASE{\textquoteright}17},
	year = {2017},
	pages = {286{\textendash}291},
	publisher = {ACM},
	organization = {ACM},
	address = {New York, NY, USA},
	abstract = {Context: Open Source Software (OSS) developers use mailing lists as their main forum for discussing the evolution of a project. However, the use of mailing lists by developers for decision-making has not received much research attention. Objective: We have explored this issue by studying developers{\textquoteright} email discussions around Python Enhancement Proposals (PEPs). Method: Our dataset comprised 42,672 emails from six different mailing lists pertaining to PEP development. We performed multiple forms of analysis on these emails, involving both quantitative measures (e.g., frequency) and deeper analysis of specific PEP discussions (i.e., outlier analysis). Results: Out of three PEP types (Informational, Process and Standard Track), Standard Track PEPs attract a large amount of discussion (both in volume and average number of messages per proposal). Our study also identified specific PEP states and topics that generated a disproportionate amount of discussion. Conclusion: Our outcomes point to several opportunities for improving the management of an OSS team based on the knowledge generated from discussions. We have also identified several interesting avenues for future work such as identifying individuals or groups that present persuasive arguments during decision-making.},
	keywords = {Decision-making, Email discussions, Python development},
	isbn = {978-1-4503-4804-1},
	doi = {10.1145/3084226.3084271},
	url = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/3084226.3084271},
	author = {Sharma, Pankajeshwara and Savarimuthu, Bastin Tony Roy and Stanger, Nigel and Licorish, Sherlock A. and Rainer, Austen}
}
@conference {1925,
	title = {Investigating developers{\textquoteright} email discussions during decision-making in Python language evolution},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering  - EASE{\textquoteright}17},
	year = {2017},
	pages = {286 - 291},
	publisher = {ACM Press},
	organization = {ACM Press},
	address = {Karlskrona, SwedenNew York, New York, USA},
	abstract = {Context: Open Source Software (OSS) developers use mailing lists as their main forum for discussing the evolution of a project. However, the use of mailing lists by developers for decision-making has not received much research attention. Objective: We have explored this issue by studying developers{\textquoteright} email discussions around Python Enhancement Proposals (PEPs). Method: Our dataset comprised 42,672 emails from six different mailing lists pertaining to PEP development. We performed multiple forms of analysis on these emails, involving both quantitative measures (e.g., frequency) and deeper analysis of specific PEP discussions (i.e., outlier analysis). Results: Out of three PEP types (Informational, Process and Standard Track), Standard Track PEPs attract a large amount of discussion (both in volume and average number of messages per proposal). Our study also identified specific PEP states and topics that generated a disproportionate amount of discussion. Conclusion: Our outcomes point to several opportunities for improving the management of an OSS team based on the knowledge generated from discussions. We have also identified several interesting avenues for future work such as identifying individuals or groups that present persuasive arguments during decision-making.},
	isbn = {9781450348041},
	doi = {10.1145/3084226.3084271},
	url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317486549_Investigating_developers\%27_email_discussions_during_decision-making_in_Python_language_evolution},
	author = {Stanger, Nigel and Rainer, Austen and Licorish, Sherlock A. and Sharma, Pankajeshwara and Savarimuthu, Bastin Tony Roy}
}
@conference {719,
	title = {Evaluating the Quality and Quantity of Data on Open Source Software Projects},
	booktitle = {OSS2005: Open Source Systems },
	year = {2005},
	pages = {29-36},
	abstract = {In this paper, we provide a preliminary evaluation of the quality and quantity of data on open source (OS) projects, provided at the SourceForge.net portal. We have derived a dataset of approximately 50000 projects from SourceForge. Using several indicators of project activity, we identify two samples from the entire dataset: the {\textquoteleft}most active{\textquoteright} OS projects (a total of 456 projects, ~0.9\% of the entire dataset), and those projects with active code development (5826 projects, ~11.6\%). The number of projects that are active across all of our main indicators of activity account for less than 1\% of the projects on the portal. This suggests that many OS projects being registered on SourceForge are {\textquoteleft}impulse{\textquoteright} projects, which do not gather sufficient interest from developers or users to {\textquoteleft}activate{\textquoteright} those projects and make them {\textquoteleft}successful{\textquoteright}. It also suggests that researchers, developers and users should be careful about how they use OS portals.},
	url = {http://pascal.case.unibz.it/handle/2038/733},
	author = {Rainer, Austen and Gale, Stephen}
}
@conference {736,
	title = {Open-source software in an occupational health application: the case of Heales Medical Ltd.},
	booktitle = {OSS2005: Open Source Systems },
	year = {2005},
	pages = {130-134},
	abstract = {In this paper, we provide a case study of a small company, Heales Medical Ltd., that has chosen to use opensource software to develop an online integrated patient management system. We use this case study to examine some preconceptions of open-source technology in the light our experiences of open source in the Heales project. We identify costs and cost savings as being the primary business considerations, and identify software purchase and licensing as key advantages for open-source. We then look at development issues including software evaluation, implementation and programming, and identify these as more costly for open-source, in terms of time and effort expended. We also look at issues to do with open source licensing, which our initial investigations suggest is confusing and requires further analysis. Overall, the ability to modify the source code is regarded as a key benefit of open-source software, but in a business environment like Heales, this is of little imp...},
	url = {http://pascal.case.unibz.it/handle/2038/1257},
	author = {Tiangco, Francis and Stockwell, Alison and Sapsford, John and Rainer, Austen and Swanton, Eamonn}
}
