Open Source Software Development Model Research Articles

ModelArray: An R package for statistical analysis of fixel-wise data

Diffusion MRI is the dominant non-invasive imaging method used to characterize white matter organization in health and disease. Increasingly, fiber-specific properties within a voxel are analyzed using fixels. While tools for conducting statistical analyses of fixel-wise data exist, currently available tools support only a limited number of statistical models. Here we introduce ModelArray, an R package for mass-univariate statistical analysis of fixel-wise data. At present, ModelArray supports linear models as well as generalized additive models (GAMs), which are particularly useful for studying nonlinear effects in lifespan data. In addition, ModelArray also aims for scalable analysis. With only several lines of code, even large fixel-wise datasets can be analyzed using a standard personal computer. Detailed memory profiling revealed that ModelArray required only limited memory even for large datasets. As an example, we applied ModelArray to fixel-wise data derived from diffusion images acquired as part of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (n=938). ModelArray revealed anticipated nonlinear developmental effects in white matter. Moving forward, ModelArray is supported by an open-source software development model that can incorporate additional statistical models and other imaging data types. Taken together, ModelArray provides a flexible and efficient platform for statistical analysis of fixel-wise data.

Enabling Collaborative Data Science Development with the Ballet Framework

While the open-source software development model has led to successful large-scale collaborations in building software systems, data science projects are frequently developed by individuals or small teams. We describe challenges to scaling data science collaborations and present a conceptual framework and ML programming model to address them. We instantiate these ideas in Ballet, the first lightweight framework for collaborative, open-source data science through a focus on feature engineering, and an accompanying cloud-based development environment. Using our framework, collaborators incrementally propose feature definitions to a repository which are each subjected to software and ML performance validation and can be automatically merged into an executable feature engineering pipeline. We leverage Ballet to conduct a case study analysis of an income prediction problem with 27 collaborators, and discuss implications for future designers of collaborative projects.

Bug triaging based on ant systems

The open source software development model is a highly complex activity among voluntary software developers. This model of development has led to the availability of software repositories in the public domain. Bug repositories are part of software repositories. They maintain and store bug reports that arise after software has been deployed. Bug triaging, typically is a recommendation problem in a volatile environment. Bug triaging systems use the past history of bug re-assignments and information present in the bug report summary to make new recommendations. Any recommendation system needs positive and negative feedback on the recommendation made so as to fine tune its performance and to remain relevant. Ant colony optimisation is a stochastic technique that has pheromone trail deposit as positive feedback and pheromones evaporation as negative feedback. This paper presents a framework for automated bug triaging system based on ant colony optimisation. The performance of the proposed framework is validated with the bug reports of Eclipse Project. The parameters including: 1 path length; 2 precision; 3 recall; 4 path similarity are considered. The performance evaluation shows that the proposed framework is better than the existing weighted breadth first search WBFS system.

The Emergence of Open-Source Software in North America

Unlike conventional models of software development, the open source model is based on the collaborative efforts of users who are also co-developers of the software. Interest in open source software has grown exponentially in recent years. A Google search for the phrase open source in early 2005 returned 28.8 million webpage hits, while less than two years later that number had jumped to 376 million. This paper discusses the origin of the term open source and the key tenets of the open source software development model. In addition, it analyzes the merits and drawbacks of using this model and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of applying the model in higher education. Importantly, examples are provided of computer software, and course management systems in particular, developed using the open source model. Also included are brief analyses of the Linux operating system, and two open source course management systems, Sakai and Moodle, as well as the uPortal. A timeline of major open source projects of significance in North America is provided. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential for applying the open source software development model to open and distance education.

The Emergence of Open-Source Software in China

The open-source software movement is gaining increasing momentum in China. Of the limited numbers of open-source software in China, Red Flag Linux stands out most strikingly, commanding 30 percent share of Chinese software market. Unlike the spontaneity of open-source movement in North America, open-source software development in China, such as Red Flag Linux, is an orchestrated activity wherein different levels of government play a vital role in sponsoring, incubating, and using open-source software, most conspicuously, Red Flag Linux. While there are no reports on open-source course management system in China, there are reports on the study and use of Western open-source course management systems for instruction and learning in Chinese higher education institutions. This paper discusses the current status of open-source software in China, including open-source course management software and associated tools and resources. Importantly, it describes the development model of Red Flag Linux, the most successful open-source software initiative in China. In addition, it explores the possibility of Chinese higher education institutions joining efforts to develop China’s own open-source course management system using the open-source development model established in North America. A timeline of major open-source projects of significance underway in China is provided. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential for applying the open-source software development model to open and distance education in China.

Open Source and Proprietary Software: The Search for a Profitable Middle-Ground

The open source software development model has been hailed as the most significant change in computing since Apple played David to IBM's Goliath. Yet, enterprises dedicated to bringing open source into the mainstream of the information economy have had a rough time finding ways to stay afloat financially. While traditional software companies can generate revenue from the sale of their intellectual property, this is hard to do with open source software because the developers retain only limited rights in the products. The approach adopted by some open source companies is to honor open source in spirit while inching toward fees for the use of intellectual property. These firms have created hybrid business models that combine elements of free code with code that is licensed for cash. Ironically, in the wake of the dot-com bust even firms licensing software in traditional ways have been struggling to cope. Many of these proprietary software makers have found they can better satisfy their customers, and generate more profit, by adopting aspects of the open-source development process. We take a closer look at both kinds of companies to illustrate how very different sorts of developers are moving towards a fruitful convergence. We conclude that open source companies are more likely to succeed if they can use open-source products as entree into domains protected by traditional intellectual property, and that proprietary companies can benefit from open-source software development without abandoning revenues from intellectual property. Open source and proprietary development models remain distinct, but we predict that less software will be licensed at either extreme in the future.

The Role of “Computers in the Schools” Revisited

The 20th anniversary of Computers in the Schools seems an appropriate time to take stock of the effects of computers in the schools. The past, present, and potential future effects on K-12 education are reviewed in this article. Three eras are considered-characterized by initial theoretical foundations, current practice, and future transformations-with an emphasis on the coming transformational era, in which the authors believe multisubject, personal portable computers will become nearly universally available. Educators need to begin planning now for the effects of ubiquitous computing and consider ways in which universal access to computing might permit reconceptualization of the school curriculum. The kinds of educational software available to schools will substantially affect how computers are used. An open source software development model is described that can potentially empower teachers with the capability to adapt and modify programs according to local needs. A call for an international dialog on the intersecting trends of ubiquitous computing and the open source educational model is issued.

The power of gifts: organizing social relationships in open source communities

Abstract. In writings on the open source software development model, it is often argued that it is successful as a result of the gift economy that embraces activities in online communities. However, the theoretical foundations for this argument are seldom discussed and empirically tested. Starting with the ‘classic’ theories of gift giving, we discuss how they need to be developed in order to explain gift‐giving practices in digital domains. In this paper, we argue that the gift economy is important, not only because it creates openness, but also because it organizes relationships between people in a certain way. Open source software development relies on gift giving as a way of getting new ideas and prototypes out into circulation. This also implies that the giver gets power from giving away. This power is used as a way of guaranteeing the quality of the code. We relate this practice to how gifts, in the form of new scientific knowledge, are given to the research community, and how this is done through peer review processes.