firefly2442
January 28th, 2009, 11:30 PM
I'm taking a Journalism and Mass Communication class about technology and communication. We will each be writing a paper on a topic of our choosing. For my research paper topic, I would love to hear ideas, questions, suggestions, etc.
After following the development of Linux and Open Source Software (OSS) for some time, I think that it is gaining in popularity among not only technically savvy individuals but also those who are fed up with issues surrounding Windows and other operating systems. The underlying philosophy of OSS encourages cooperation and sharing which have helped the community thrive on the Internet. I would like to examine how these communities have emerged as well as how they are maintained.
The fact that Linux is a full operating system collaboratively created by thousands of people around the world is a staggering accomplishment in my opinion. There is no rigid structure like traditional businesses where you have a hierarchy of people working who all report to one person. Some would say that Linus Torvalds who started Linux is the leader but as he jokingly puts it, he considers himself a, “benevolent dictator”. Linux as well as the distributions that are created around it consistently release full operating systems through the coordination of volunteers that exist all over the world. Deciding on what to do is usually a democratic process. While language differences may hinder this, the core freedoms of the principles of OSS transcend languages and national borders. Creating these communities involves not only recruiting people but also trusting them to help out and contribute. This can be a variety of things from programming, writing documentation, or even helping new users with the software. Some projects have created large vibrant communities but their processes for putting all the pieces together into a polished piece of software are lacking, thus the project suffers. Others have created an excellent polished end product but they lack the community behind it, so nobody uses the software. The key balance is creating the community as well as crafting a policy for democratically accepting the best code or at least making some sort of decision as to what the final resulting product will look like.
I would like to answer some or all of the following questions regarding the creation and maintenance of open source communities:
1) What kind of tools are used online for collaboration and maintenance of large projects? What tools are missing?
2) Given the global nature of the communities, is language an issue for communication? If English is the predominant language used, does this create a segregation divide between those that speak English versus those that do not? As OSS increases in popularity, how important will emerging areas of the world such as developing nations be in the development and use of OSS?
3) How can a project create and retain a vibrant community? How do projects reach “critical mass” in terms of the amount of people needed? What kind of people are attracted to OSS?
4) What is the future of OSS? Will it always just be a niche area of tinkers or will it truly be able to compete with proprietary commercial operating systems? If it does gain in popularity, will this dramatically change the structure of the community as a whole?
5) Are there advances in the future of the Internet that will help facilitate OSS? Hinder it?
Thank you for your time. :)
After following the development of Linux and Open Source Software (OSS) for some time, I think that it is gaining in popularity among not only technically savvy individuals but also those who are fed up with issues surrounding Windows and other operating systems. The underlying philosophy of OSS encourages cooperation and sharing which have helped the community thrive on the Internet. I would like to examine how these communities have emerged as well as how they are maintained.
The fact that Linux is a full operating system collaboratively created by thousands of people around the world is a staggering accomplishment in my opinion. There is no rigid structure like traditional businesses where you have a hierarchy of people working who all report to one person. Some would say that Linus Torvalds who started Linux is the leader but as he jokingly puts it, he considers himself a, “benevolent dictator”. Linux as well as the distributions that are created around it consistently release full operating systems through the coordination of volunteers that exist all over the world. Deciding on what to do is usually a democratic process. While language differences may hinder this, the core freedoms of the principles of OSS transcend languages and national borders. Creating these communities involves not only recruiting people but also trusting them to help out and contribute. This can be a variety of things from programming, writing documentation, or even helping new users with the software. Some projects have created large vibrant communities but their processes for putting all the pieces together into a polished piece of software are lacking, thus the project suffers. Others have created an excellent polished end product but they lack the community behind it, so nobody uses the software. The key balance is creating the community as well as crafting a policy for democratically accepting the best code or at least making some sort of decision as to what the final resulting product will look like.
I would like to answer some or all of the following questions regarding the creation and maintenance of open source communities:
1) What kind of tools are used online for collaboration and maintenance of large projects? What tools are missing?
2) Given the global nature of the communities, is language an issue for communication? If English is the predominant language used, does this create a segregation divide between those that speak English versus those that do not? As OSS increases in popularity, how important will emerging areas of the world such as developing nations be in the development and use of OSS?
3) How can a project create and retain a vibrant community? How do projects reach “critical mass” in terms of the amount of people needed? What kind of people are attracted to OSS?
4) What is the future of OSS? Will it always just be a niche area of tinkers or will it truly be able to compete with proprietary commercial operating systems? If it does gain in popularity, will this dramatically change the structure of the community as a whole?
5) Are there advances in the future of the Internet that will help facilitate OSS? Hinder it?
Thank you for your time. :)