The characteristics and motivations of library open source software developers: An empirical study

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namjoo Choi ◽  
Joseph A. Pruett
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Software Developers

scholarly journals USABILITY IN OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT: OPINIONS AND PRACTICE

2006 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten Sieker Andreasen ◽  
Henrik Villemann Nielsen ◽  
Simon Ormholt Schrøder ◽  
Jan Stage
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Software Development ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Usability Evaluation ◽  
Software Developers ◽  
Commercial Software ◽  
Proprietary Software

Open Source Software (OSS) development has gained significant importance in the production of soft-ware products. Open Source Software developers have produced systems with a functionality that is competitive with similar proprietary software developed by commercial software organizations. Yet OSS is usually designed for and by power-users, and OSS products have been criticized for having little or no emphasis on usability. We have conducted an empirical study of the developers’ opinions about usability and the way usability engineering is practiced in a variety of OSS projects. The study included a questionnaire survey and a series of interviews, where we interviewed OSS contributors with both technical and usability backgrounds. Overall we found that OSS developers are interested in usability, but in practice it is not top priority, and OSS projects rarely employs systematic usability evaluation. Most of the efforts are based on common sense. Most developers have a very limited understanding of usability, and there is a lack of resources and evaluation methods fitting into the OSS paradigm.

scholarly journals An Empirical Study of Open Source Software Usability

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arif Raza ◽  
Luiz Fernando Capretz ◽  
Faheem Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Software Developers ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Software Usability ◽  
Novice Users ◽  
The Relationship

Recent years have seen a sharp increase in the use of open source projects by common novice users; Open Source Software (OSS) is thus no longer a reserved arena for software developers and computer gurus. Although user-centered designs are gaining popularity in OSS, usability is still not considered one of the prime objectives in many design scenarios. This paper analyzes industry users’ perception of usability factors, including understandability, learnability, operability, and attractiveness on OSS usability. The research model of this empirical study establishes the relationship between the key usability factors and OSS usability from industrial perspective. In order to conduct the study, a data set of 105 industry users is included. The results of the empirical investigation indicate the significance of the key factors for OSS usability.

Inside Commits: An Empirical Study on Commits in Open-Source Software

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mívian Ferreira ◽  
Diego Golçalves ◽  
Kecia Ferreira ◽  
Mariza Bigonha
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software

An Empirical Study on the Migration to OpenOffice.org in a Public Administration

2008 ◽  
pp. 818-832
Author(s):  
B. Rossi ◽  
M. Scotto ◽  
A. Sillitti ◽  
G. Succi
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Office Automation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
It Managers

The aim of the article is to report the results of a migration to Open Source Software (OSS) in one public administration. The migration focuses on the office automation field and, in particular, on the OpenOffice.org suite. We have analysed the transition to OSS considering qualitative and quantitative data collected with the aid of different tools. All the data have been always considered from the point of view of the different stakeholders involved, IT managers, IT technicians, and users. The results of the project have been largely satisfactory. However the results cannot be generalised due to some constraints, like the environment considered and the parallel use of the old solution. Nevertheless, we think that the data collected can be of valuable aid to managers wishing to evaluate a possible transition to OSS.

Evidence-Based Assurance to Support Process Quality in the F/OSS Community

2007 ◽  
pp. 120-146
Author(s):  
Anas Tawileh ◽  
Omer F. Rana ◽  
Wendy Ivins ◽  
Stephen McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Development Process ◽  
End Users ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Software Developers ◽  
Substantial Growth ◽  
Development Processes

This chapter investigates the quality issues of the free and open source software (F/OSS) development processes. It argues that software developed within the F/OSS paradigm has witnessed substantial growth rates within the software developers’ community. However, end users from outside the community are still sceptical about adopting F/OSS because of the perceived lack of quality assurance mechanisms within the F/OSS development process. The authors aim to promote higher adoption of F/OSS artefacts outside the developers’ community by exploring possibilities to provide appropriate evidence based assurances that F/OSS artefacts will meet the quality levels expected by users.

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