Free/Libre Open Source Software Developers Research Articles

Single- and Double-Loop Learning

Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) developers often make a single contribution to a project and then no more, making project management difficult. To improve understanding around why developers leave, this work explores the relationship between FLOSS developer motivations and their attitudes and behavior related to projects. In particular, we add insight to the current understanding of these issues by proposing single- and double-loop learning as intervening mechanisms that connect developer motivations to outcomes and thereby help clarify when developer motivations have negative and positive impacts for the project. We test our hypotheses in a sample of 132 FLOSS developers. We find that intrinsic motivations (motivation to learn) and social motivations (motivation to collaborate) positively influence single- and double-loop learning while extrinsic motivations negatively impact both types of learning. We further find that single- and double-loop learning have differential impacts on contribution to the focal project and other projects. While single-loop learning is associated with lower turnover intentions, double-loop learning is associated with higher turnover intentions. Implications of our findings for research and management are provided in the discussion.

Revolution postponed? Tracing the development and limitations of open content filmmaking

ABSTRACTNetworked information technologies have brought about extensive changes in the production and distribution of creative cultural work. Inspired by the widespread success of Free-Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS), many proponents of open access advocate reconceptualisation of existing legal protection frameworks in creative works. This paper traces the attempted appropriation of Creative Commons (CC) licences by filmmakers and the consequent formation of an Open Content Filmmaking (OCF) movement. OCF proponents articulated notions of technology-enabled transformation in content creation and distribution, similar to those that inspire the visions of FLOSS and CC advocates. It examines how these creators attempted to address the relevance of openness to their own activities and develop practical open models for filmmaking. Difficulties experienced in establishing viable livelihoods with OCF (as FLOSS developers had done), created tensions between those with a pragmatic or more ideological orientation. The initial vision of a consistent OCF movement, enabled by CC, thus became fragmented. In contrast to FLOSS, where many actors were able to find ways to develop sustainable careers within the industry while contributing to Open Source Software, such generic strategies have not readily emerged for OCF. Drawing insights from Sørensen’s (1996) Social Learning framework (Learning technology, constructing culture. Sociotechnical change as social learning: University of Trondheim, STS working paper 18/96) in this paper we untangle the elaborate but often messy strategies deployed by Open Content Filmmakers (OCFs) and trace the multiple and often partial ways they have worked out to utilise CC elements and tools in producing, monetising and distributing their films.

The Role of Face-to-Face Meetings in Technology-Supported Self-Organizing Distributed Teams

We examine the role of face-to-face meetings in the context of technology-supported self-organizing distributed (or virtual teams), specifically free/libre open source software (FLOSS) development teams. Based on a qualitative inductive analysis of data from interviews and observations at FLOSS conferences, we identify a variety of settings in which developers meet face-to-face, and we point out the activities performed in these settings and the benefits obtained. Contrary to conventional wisdom about distributed teams, FLOSS developers generally do not meet face-to-face until the project is well under way. An additional benefit of face-to-face meetings is time away from a regular job and speed of interaction for certain kinds of tasks.

The realities of Free/Libre/Open Source Software developers in Japan and Asia

A variety of individuals around the world are furthering development of Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) through the Internet. Why do they participate in developers’ communities and continue to develop FLOSS? Is their treatment enough to sustain their activities? Surveys, using online questionnaires, were conducted to answer these questions to analyze the FLOSS movement sociologically. However these surveys tend to focus on developers in the West. We decided to see if there are regional differences in FLOSS development. To that end, we conducted two surveys, the FLOSS–JP survey in Japanese and the FLOSS–ASIA survey in other Asian languages. In this paper, we describe regional differences, especially among Asian and Japanese FLOSS developers and compare the results to those from Western FLOSS surveys. Detailed reports of FLOSS–JP/ASIA are available at our Web site (MRI, 2004)