Open Source Software in the Organization
Diomidis Spinellis, Athens University of Economics and Business
Total pages: 53
$29.00
Introduction
One might be tempted to regard the open source movement as a passing fad. The
truth is that open source software is profoundly affecting how we develop
software, how we deploy information technology in our organizations, and the way
we collaborate.
Open source changes both the software we build and how we build it. We now have
at our disposal huge open source software (OSS) repositories. There are also
application domains where opportunistically reusing OSS is a valid and often the
only practical approach. We thus see young developers who instinctively turn to
open source systems every time they need to solve a problem, scavenging for
elements they can use to assemble their project.
As open source developers diffuse into our workplaces, they also affect how we
build software. Professionals participating in open source projects have helped
the dissemination and adoption of essential development practices such as
configuration management, issue tracking, automated testing, and release
engineering. Partly thanks to these practices, startup companies now routinely
churn out software projects whose size was once in the exclusive domain of big
defense contractors.
Beyond software development, OSS is redefining information technology's role in
our organizations. Thanks to open source, we can obtain commodity software for
free, while higher up the value chain ladder many companies develop strategic IT
assets by taking advantage of open source offerings. A few go further, basing
their business model around OSS artifacts and communities.
Finally, open source development models are teaching us how we can collaborate
across organizations, time zones, and cultures. Lightweight processes, workflows
relying exclusively on information technology, and interactions based on trust
and respect have worked wonders for open source and are now being tried in other
domains. Whether our goal is to design a plane or run an election campaign, we
can learn something from how open source teams work.
The articles in this collection represent all the facets I've outlined here.
They thus show us the many ways in which our organizations can benefit from open
source projects, practices, and ideas.
There will come a time when open source will stop being a buzzword, when what we
now recognize as a fad will be yesterday's news. However, when open source
ceases to excite us, it won't be because it will have become irrelevant, but
because it will have changed computing so much that we'll be taking it for
granted. In the meantime, we can all enjoy sharing our work in an open
environment and learn from a truly revolutionary movement.
Keywords: Software development, open source software, architecture, open source,
session initiation protocol, help desk, technical support, IT systems, FLOSS
projects, information systems infrastructure, information systems development,
information systems implementation
Table of Contents
How Is Open Source Affecting Software Development?
Diomidis Spinellis, Athens University of Economics and Business
Clemens Szyperski, Microsoft Research
Summary: The development process is gaining from widespread use of sophisticated open
source development platforms and tools and corresponding development and coding
practices. However, complex dependencies, process integration, and the
coevolution of multiple open source and proprietary projects are still open
problems.
The Economic Motivation of Open Source Software: Stakeholder Perspectives
Dirk Riehle, SAP Research
Summary: Open source software has changed the rules of the game, significantly impacting
stakeholders' economic behavior in the software ecosystem. Developers strive to
be committers, vendors feel pressure to produce OSS products, and system
integrators anticipate higher profits.
A Case Study of a Corporate Open Source Development Model
Vijay Gurbani and Anita Garvert, Lucent Technologies
James Herbsleb, Carnegie Mellon University
Summary:
Open source practices and tools have helped solve many problems in
geographically distributed software development. But such tools and practices
might conflict with development environments, management practices, and
market-driven schedule and feature decisions typical in commercial
organizations. This case study looks at the telecommunications domain.
Assessing the Health of Open Source Communities
Kevin Crowston and James Howison, Syracuse University
Summary:
The computing world lauds many free/libre and OSS offerings for their
reliability and features, but not all FLOSS projects succeed. Before you
contribute to a project, understand its developers, leaders, and active users.
They're neither all teenage hackers nor all skillful, ethical professionals.
Open Source Technical Support: A Look at Peer Help-Giving
Vandana Singh, Michael B. Twidale, Dinesh Rathi, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
Summary: To explore online technical support of OSS, the authors studied discussion board
postings. They found that help-givers need several types of detail to diagnose
and solve help-seekers' problems. This study compares these findings with
studies of phone-based technical help lines and identifies ways to improve the
process.
Developing an Information Systems Infrastructure with Open Source
Software
Brian Fitzgerald, University of Limerick
Tony Kenny, Beaumont Hospital
Summary:
In the wake of budget shortfalls, Ireland's Beaumont Hospital addressed its
information systems infrastructure needs by turning to OSS. With a two-phase
approach, the hospital's IT department upgraded its application platform and
associated server environment.
Recommended Resources
