Innovation in Open Source Software Development: A Tale of Two Features

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Title	Innovation in Open Source Software Development: A Tale of Two Features
Publication Type	Conference Paper
Year of Publication	2007
Authors	Noll, J
Secondary Title	OSS2007: Open Source Development, Adoption and Innovation (IFIP 2.13)
Volume	234/2007
Pagination	109 - 120
Date Published	2007///
Publisher	Springer
ISSN Number	978-0-387-72485-0
Keywords	email, email archives, features, Firefox, gnome, mailing list, metacity, mozilla
Abstract	Open Source Software Development appears to depart radically from conventional notions of software engineering. In particular, requirements for Open Source projects seem to be asserted rather than elicited. This paper examines two features of selected open source products: “tabbed browsing” as realized in the Firefox web browser, and “edge magnetism” found in the Gnome desktop environment’s Metacity window manager. Using archives of mailing lists and issue tracking databases, these features were traced from first mention to release, in attempt to discover the process by which requirements are proposed, adopted, and implemented in their respective Open Source projects. The results confirm the importance of user participation in Open Source projects.
Notes	"archives of project discussion forums were then examined to determine when the feature was first proposed, how it was debated, and when it was ultimately adopted"
DOI	10.1007/978-0-387-72486-7_9
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