@proceedings {1875, title = {Considering the use of walled gardens for FLOSS project communication}, year = {2017}, month = {05/2017}, abstract = {At its core, free, libre, and open source software (FLOSS) is defined by its adherence to a set of licenses that give various freedoms to the users of the software, for example the ability to use the software, to read or modify its source code, and to distribute the software to others. In addition, many FLOSS projects and developers also champion other values related to "freedom" and "openness", such as transparency, for example in communication and decision-making, or community-orientedness, for example in broadening access, collaboration, and participation. This paper explores how one increasingly common software development practice - communicating inside non-archived, third-party "walled gardens" - puts these FLOSS values into conflict. If communities choose to use non-archived walled gardens for communication, they may be prioritizing one type of openness (broad participation) over another (transparency). We use 18 FLOSS projects as a sample to describe how walled gardens are currently being used for intra-project communication, as well as to determine whether or not these projects provide archives of these communications. Findings will be useful to the FLOSS community as a whole as it seeks to under- stand the evolution and impact of its communication choices.}, keywords = {apache, chat, communication, email, free software, irc, mailing list, open source, Slack, Stack Overflow, teams, Wordpress}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-57735-7_1}, url = {https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007\%2F978-3-319-57735-7_1.pdf}, attachments = {https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/preprint_0.pdf}, author = {Squire, Megan} } @article {1746, title = {Evaluation of FLOSS by Analyzing Its Software Evolution:}, journal = {Journal of Information Technology Research}, volume = {8}, year = {2015}, month = {01/2015}, pages = {62 - 81}, abstract = {In today{\textquoteright}s world, management often rely on FLOSS (Free/Libre/Open Source Software) systems to run their organizations. However, the nature of FLOSS is different from the software they have been using in the last decades. Its development model is distributed, and its authors are diverse as many volunteers and companies may collaborate in the project. In this paper, we want to shed some light on how to evaluate a FLOSS system by looking at the Moodle platform, which is currently the most used learning management system among educational institutions worldwide. In contrast with other evaluation models that have been proposed so far, the one we present is based on retrieving historical information that can be obtained publicly from the Internet, allowing us to study its evolution. As a result, we will show how by using our methodology management can take informed decisions that lower the risk that organizations face when investing in a FLOSS system. }, keywords = {free software, LMS, moodle, open source, software engineering, software evaluation, software evolution}, issn = {1938-7865}, doi = {10.4018/JITR.2015010105}, attachments = {https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/Evaluation\%20of\%20FLOSS\%20by\%20Analyzing\%20its\%20Software\%20Evolution\%20-\%20An\%20Example\%20Using\%20the\%20Moodle\%20Platform.pdf}, author = {Macho, H{\'e}ctor J. and Gregorio Robles and Gonz{\'a}lez-Barahona, Jesus M} } @conference {barcomb:2015:multiple, title = {A multiple case study of small free software businesses as social entrepreneurships}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium on Open Collaboration (OpenSym 2015)}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Free/libre and open source software are frequently described as a single community or movement. The difference between free software and open source ideology may influence founders, resulting in different types of companies being created. Specifically, the relationship between free/libre software ideology and social entrepreneurships is investigated. This paper presents seven case studies of businesses, five of which were founded by people who identify with the free/libre software movement. The result is a theory that small businesses founded by free/libre software advocates have three characteristics of social entrepreneurships. First, social benefit is prioritized over wealth creation. Second, the business{\textquoteright}s social mission is not incidental but is furthered through its for-profit activities, rather than supported by the company{\textquoteright}s profits. Third, the company{\textquoteright}s success is defined in part by the success of its social mission Free/libre software entrepreneurs who recognize their activities as social entrepreneurships can benefit from the existing literature on the unique challenges faced by socially-oriented businesses.}, keywords = {free software, open source software, public good, small business, social entrepreneurship, social ventures}, url = {https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-fau/frontdoor/index/index/docId/6334}, attachments = {https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/p100-barcomb.pdf}, author = {Barcomb, Ann} } @conference {Robles:2014:EDE:2597073.2597107, title = {Estimating Development Effort in Free/Open Source Software Projects by Mining Software Repositories: A Case Study of OpenStack}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 11th Working Conference on Mining Software Repositories}, series = {MSR 2014}, year = {2014}, pages = {222{\textendash}231}, publisher = {ACM}, organization = {ACM}, address = {New York, NY, USA}, abstract = {Because of the distributed and collaborative nature of free / open source software (FOSS) projects, the development effort invested in a project is usually unknown, even after the software has been released. However, this information is becoming of major interest, especially ---but not only--- because of the growth in the number of companies for which FOSS has become relevant for their business strategy. In this paper we present a novel approach to estimate effort by considering data from source code management repositories. We apply our model to the OpenStack project, a FOSS project with more than 1,000 authors, in which several tens of companies cooperate. Based on data from its repositories and together with the input from a survey answered by more than 100 developers, we show that the model offers a simple, but sound way of obtaining software development estimations with bounded margins of error. }, keywords = {effort estimation, free software, mining software repositories, open source, openstack}, isbn = {978-1-4503-2863-0}, doi = {10.1145/2597073.2597107}, url = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2597073.2597107}, attachments = {https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/robles_0.pdf}, author = {Gregorio Robles and Gonz{\'a}lez-Barahona, Jes{\'u}s M. and Cervig{\'o}n, Carlos and Capiluppi, Andrea and Izquierdo-Cort{\'a}zar, Daniel} } @conference {Robles:2014:FSD:2597073.2597129, title = {FLOSS 2013: A Survey Dataset About Free Software Contributors: Challenges for Curating, Sharing, and Combining}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 11th Working Conference on Mining Software Repositories}, series = {MSR 2014}, year = {2014}, pages = {396{\textendash}399}, publisher = {ACM}, organization = {ACM}, address = {New York, NY, USA}, abstract = {In this data paper we describe a data set obtained by means of performing an on-line survey to over 2,000 Free Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) contributors. The survey includes questions related to personal characteristics (gender, age, civil status, nationality, etc.), education and level of English, professional status, dedication to FLOSS projects, reasons and motivations, involvement and goals. We describe as well the possibilities and challenges of using private information from the survey when linked with other, publicly available data sources. In this regard, an example of data sharing will be presented and legal, ethical and technical issues will be discussed. }, keywords = {anonymization, data combining, data sharing, ethics, free software, microdata, msr data showcase, open data, open source, privacy, Survey}, isbn = {978-1-4503-2863-0}, doi = {10.1145/2597073.2597129}, url = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2597073.2597129}, attachments = {https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/msr14gregorio.pdf}, author = {Gregorio Robles and Reina, Laura Arjona and Serebrenik, Alexander and Vasilescu, Bogdan and Gonz{\'a}lez-Barahona, Jes{\'u}s M.} } @proceedings {1439, title = {A Comprehensive Study of Software Forks: Dates, Reasons and Outcomes}, volume = {378}, year = {2012}, pages = {1-14}, publisher = {IFIP AICT}, abstract = {Summary. In general it is assumed that a software product evolves within the authoring company or group of developers that develop the project. However, in some cases different groups of developers make the software evolve in different directions, a situation which is commonly known as a fork. In the case of free software, although forking is a practice that is considered as a last resort, it is inherent to the four freedoms. This paper tries to shed some light on the practice of forking. Therefore, we have identified significant forks, several hundreds in total, and have studied them in depth. Among the issues that have been analyzed for each fork is the date when the forking occurred, the reason of the fork, and the outcome of the fork, i.e., if the original or the forking project are still developed. Our investigation shows, among other results, that forks occur in every software domain, that they have become more frequent in recent years, and that very few forks merge with the original project.}, keywords = {forking, forks, free software, Legal, open source, social, software evolution, sustainability}, attachments = {https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/paper_0.pdf}, author = {Gregorio Robles and Gonz{\'a}lez-Barahona, Jes{\'u}s M.} } @conference {Sethanandha:2011:IOS:1985793.1986018, title = {Improving open source software patch contribution process: methods and tools}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 33rd International Conference on Software Engineering}, series = {ICSE {\textquoteright}11}, year = {2011}, pages = {1134{\textendash}1135}, publisher = {ACM}, organization = {ACM}, address = {New York, NY, USA}, abstract = {The patch contribution process (PCP) is very important to the sustainability of OSS projects. Nevertheless, there are several issues on patch contribution in mature OSS projects, which include time consuming process, lost and ignored patches, slow review process. These issues are recognized by researchers and OSS projects, but have not been addressed. In this dissertation, I apply Kanban method to guide process improvement and tools development to reduce PCP cycle time.}, keywords = {coordination, free software, kanban, lean methods, open source software, patches, productivity}, isbn = {978-1-4503-0445-0}, doi = {10.1145/1985793.1986018}, url = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1985793.1986018}, author = {Bhuricha Deen Sethanandha} } @proceedings {1284, title = {Libre Software as an Innovation Enabler in India: Experiences of a Bangalorian Software SME}, year = {2011}, month = {10/2011}, pages = {220-232}, publisher = {Springer}, abstract = {Free/Libre and open source software (FLOSS) has been advocated for its presumed capacity to support native software industries in developing countries. It is said to create new spaces for exploration and to lower entry barriers to mature software markets, for example. However, little empirical research has been conducted concerning FLOSS business in a developing country setting and, thus, there is not much evidence to support or refute these claims. This paper presents a business case study conducted in India, a country branded as a {\textquoteright}software powerhouse{\textquoteright} of the developing world. The findings show how FLOSS has opened up significant opportunities for the case company, especially in terms of improving its innovative capability and upgrading in the software value chain. On the other hand, they also highlight some challenges to FLOSS involvement that rise specifically from the Indian context.}, keywords = {free software, India, INNOVATION, open source, software business}, author = {Henttonen, Katja} } @proceedings {1269, title = {What kind of commons is free software?}, year = {2011}, note = {Available under a CreativeCommons BY-NC-SA license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/). The presentation slides are also attached; paper{\textquoteright}s LaTeX source files can be found at http://www.mediafire.com/?7k9dxbkna0x6irl}, month = {06/2011}, address = {Berlin, Germany}, abstract = {This paper analyzes free software under the light of commons theories, and tries to answer whether it is a managed or open access commons. It briefly presents commons studies and its main concepts, as well as the discussion on immaterial commons, arguing that goods{\textquoteright} intrinsic characteristics should not be viewed as absolute, but rather contextualized in social struggles. Then, it proposes a two-tier structure for analyzing free software as a commons, considering its dual nature as source and machine code. The two connected layers of the proposal - use and development - are characterized according to commons theory categories; Android and software forking are explored as examples. It concludes that the first layer resembles an open access commons, but with intensional boundaries, and that the second one resembles multiple managed commons. This disparity is associated with the category of nested enterprises and with the layers{\textquoteright} relations to appropriation and production.}, keywords = {commons, COMMUNITY, free software, governance}, issn = {1613-0073}, url = {http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-739/paper_10.pdf}, attachments = {https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/VIEIRA.pdf , https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/VIEIRA_presentation_0.odp}, author = {Vieira, Miguel Said} } @mastersthesis {barcomb:2010:sociability, title = {The Sociability of Free Software: A GNU Look at Free Software Identified Businesses as Social Entrepreneurships}, year = {2010}, school = {Maastricht University}, type = {masters}, abstract = {This research strives to address the gap in the literature surrounding companies which identify with the philosophical values associated with the Free Software movement, which have historically been associated with Open Source businesses. It investigates whether ethically-motivated Free Software identified companies resemble social entrepreneurships. This work also examines whether there are significant differences between the business practices of Free Software identified companies, Free Software, and Open Source enterprises in order to assess if it is appropriate to address them as a group. The study is based on seven case studies, and includes one company which is a Free Software business, but does not identify with the Free Software philosophy, as well as one company which is ethically-motivated but identifies with Open Source rather than Free Software. The results indicate that there is good reason to believe that adherence to Free Software philosophy creates socially-aware businesses, which may be social entrepreneurships. No problems were discovered with the practice of grouping together Free Software and Open Source companies in the study of business practices, provided that a broad definition of success is used. }, keywords = {free software, open source software, public good, small business, social entrepreneurship, social ventures}, url = {http://barcomb.org/cgi/paper.cgi?paper=barcomb:2010:sociability}, attachments = {https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/barcomb-2010-sociability.pdf}, author = {Barcomb, Ann} } @conference {Robles:2006:GLD:1137983.1138017, title = {Geographic location of developers at SourceForge}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2006 international workshop on Mining software repositories}, series = {MSR {\textquoteright}06}, year = {2006}, pages = {144{\textendash}150}, publisher = {ACM}, organization = {ACM}, address = {New York, NY, USA}, abstract = {The development of libre (free/open source) software is usually performed by geographically distributed teams. Participation in most cases is voluntary, sometimes sporadic, and often not framed by a pre-defined management structure. This means that anybody can contribute, and in principle no national origin has advantages over others, except for the differences in availability and quality of Internet connections and language. However, differences in participation across regions do exist, although there are little studies about them. In this paper we present some data which can be the basis for some of those studies. We have taken the database of users registered at SourceForge, the largest libre software development web-based platform, and have inferred their geographical locations. For this, we have applied several techniques and heuristics on the available data (mainly e-mail addresses and time zones), which are presented and discussed in detail. The results show a snapshot of the regional distribution of SourceForge users, which may be a good proxy of the actual distribution of libre software developers. In addition, the methodology may be of interest for similar studies in other domains, when the available data is similar (as is the case of mailing lists related to software projects).}, keywords = {distributed, email, email address, free software, geographical location, geography, libre software, mining software repositories, open source software, sourceforge, timezone}, isbn = {1-59593-397-2}, doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1137983.1138017}, url = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1137983.1138017}, attachments = {https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/144GeographicLocation.pdf}, author = {Gregorio Robles and Jesus M. Gonzalez-Barahona} } @article {1232, title = {Integration of libre software applications to create a collaborative work platform for researchers at GET}, journal = {International Journal of Information Technology and Web Engineering}, volume = {1}, number = {3}, year = {2006}, month = {07/2006}, pages = {1-16}, publisher = {IGI Global}, abstract = {Libre software provides powerful applications ready to be integrated for the build-up of platforms for internal use in organizations. We describe the architecture of the collaborative work platform which we have integrated, designed for researchers at GET. We present the elements we have learned during this project in particular with respect to contribution to external libre projects, in order to better ensure the maintainability of the internal applications, and to phpGroupware as a framework for specific applications development.}, keywords = {collaborative work environment, contribution, free software, groupware, in-house applications, libre software, open source software, OpenLDAP, phpGroupware, PicoLibre, ProGET, Sympa, TWiki, WebDAV, wiki}, author = {Olivier Berger and Christian Bac and Benoit Hamet} } @conference {798, title = {An International Master Programme in Free Software in the European Higher Education Space}, booktitle = {OSS2005: Open Source Systems }, year = {2005}, pages = {349-352}, abstract = {The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) offers an International Master programme in Free Software. The first edition of this master programme began on November 2003 and there are about 240 students currently enrolled at the different specialities offered by the program. In this paper, the design, the methodology and the first few conclusions drawn from this higher education experience are discussed and summarized. After this master programme was changed to accomplish with European Higher Education Space (EHES).}, keywords = {education, free software, FS community, GNU/Linux, learning, master programme, software development, university}, url = {http://pascal.case.unibz.it/handle/2038/713}, author = {Meg{\'\i}as, David and Serra, Jordi and Macau, Rafael} } @conference {785, title = {Quality Improvement in Volunteer Free Software Projects: Exploring the Impact of Release Management}, booktitle = {OSS2005: Open Source Systems }, year = {2005}, pages = {309-310}, abstract = {Even though free software has achieved great popularity and success in recent years, there are a number of product quality challenges facing the open source development model. There is significant room for further quality improvement and one area that deserves special attention is release management. This research will identify problems with current release practices, verify possible advantages of an increasingly popular release model, and develop interventions to improve release management in free software projects. The research also aims to answer the fundamental question as to how volunteer projects can deliver predictable and high quality software.}, keywords = {free software, open source, process improvement, quality assurance, release management, volunteer projects}, url = {http://pascal.case.unibz.it/handle/2038/1429}, author = {Martin Michlmayr} }