OSS Project Success: From Internal Dynamics to External Impact

Success in open source software (OSS) development has been viewed in many different ways. This paper examines the relationship between success in terms of the development efforts devoted to an OSS project and success in terms of the acceptance of the software by stakeholders beyond the immediate development group. Research has discussed the importance of communication, norms, and other factors related to the dynamics of work within open source software development groups. The model proposed here suggests a positioning of these internal dynamics in a larger nomological net explaining variation in the success of OSS efforts.