Assessing the Health of an Open Source Ecosystem

2007 ◽  
pp. 238-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Wynn Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Ecosystem Health ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Software Projects

This study examines the concept of an ecosystem as originated in the field of ecology and applied to open source software projects. Additionally, a framework for assessing the three dimensions of ecosystem health is defined and explained using examples from a specific open source ecosystem. The conceptual framework is explained in the context of a case study for a sponsored open source ecosystem. The framework and case study highlight a number of characteristics and aspects of these ecosystems which can be evaluated by existing and potential members to gauge the health and sustainability of open source projects and the products and services they produce.

Towards a Conceptual Framework for Open Systems Developments

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Cowling ◽  
Christopher V. Morgan ◽  
Robert Cloutier
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Open Systems ◽  
System Development ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Engineering Discipline ◽  
Development Approach

The systems engineering discipline has made great strides in developing a manageable approach to system development. This is predicated on thoroughly articulating the stakeholder requirements. However, in some engineering environments, requirements are changing faster than they can be captured and realized, making this ‘traditional' form of systems engineering less tenable. An iterative system refinement approach, characterized by open systems developments, may be a more appropriate and timely response for fast-changing needs. The open systems development approach has been utilized in a number of domains including open source software, Wikipedia®, and open innovation in manufacturing. However, open systems development appears difficult to recreate successfully, and while domain tradecraft advice is often available, no engineering management methodology has emerged to improve the likelihood of success. The authors discuss the essential features of openness in these three domains and use them to propose a conceptual framework for the further exploration of the effect of governance in determining success in such open endeavors. It is the authors' hope that further research to apply this conceptual framework to open source software projects may reveal some rudimentary elements of a management methodology for environments where requirements are highly uncertain, volatile, or ‘traditional' systems engineering is otherwise sub-optimal.

scholarly journals Assessing the Health of the Dark Web:

2021 ◽  
pp. 125-134
Author(s):  
Samuel Onyango ◽  
Emilie Steenvoorden ◽  
Joram Scholten ◽  
Slinger Jansen
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Ecosystem Health ◽  
World Wide ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Ecosystem Research ◽  
Software Ecosystem ◽  
Software Products ◽  
The World ◽  
Dark Web

AbstractA hidden part of the World Wide Web is known as the Dark Web, featuring websites that cannot be indexed by traditional search engines. Many open source software products are used to access and navigate through the Dark Web. Together they form the Dark Web open source software ecosystem. Research on this ecosystem is scarce and research on the ecosystem health is non-existent, even though ecosystem health is an useful indicator of the livelihood of an ecosystem. The goal of this research is to evaluate the health of the ecosystem through an assessment of Tor, I2P and GitHub. The Open Source Ecosystem Health Operationalization framework is used to help perform this assessment. Eight metrics from the framework are selected, which are measured using the data collected. Analysis of Tor and I2P metrics suggest that there has been an increase in Tor and I2P user activity in the recent past. Added knowledge, spin offs and forks and usage indicate active participation and interest in Tor and I2P. There has also been an increase in the number of active GitHub Dark Web projects. However, these GitHub projects are not well-connected and only a small number of projects have a large number of contributors. There is some variety among the GitHub software projects. The framework proves to be adequately capable of determining the health of the Dark Web open source ecosystem with the available data.

Towards a Conceptual Framework for Open Systems Developments

2015 ◽  
pp. 87-100
Author(s):  
James A. Cowling ◽  
Christopher V. Morgan ◽  
Robert Cloutier
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Open Systems ◽  
System Development ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Engineering Discipline ◽  
Development Approach

The systems engineering discipline has made great strides in developing a manageable approach to system development. This is predicated on thoroughly articulating the stakeholder requirements. However, in some engineering environments, requirements are changing faster than they can be captured and realized, making this ‘traditional' form of systems engineering less tenable. An iterative system refinement approach, characterized by open systems developments, may be a more appropriate and timely response for fast-changing needs. The open systems development approach has been utilized in a number of domains including open source software, Wikipedia®, and open innovation in manufacturing. However, open systems development appears difficult to recreate successfully, and while domain tradecraft advice is often available, no engineering management methodology has emerged to improve the likelihood of success. The authors discuss the essential features of openness in these three domains and use them to propose a conceptual framework for the further exploration of the effect of governance in determining success in such open endeavors. It is the authors' hope that further research to apply this conceptual framework to open source software projects may reveal some rudimentary elements of a management methodology for environments where requirements are highly uncertain, volatile, or ‘traditional' systems engineering is otherwise sub-optimal.

What Makes Open Source Software Projects Impactful: A Data-Driven Approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huaiwei Yang ◽  
Shuang Liu ◽  
Lin Gui ◽  
Yongxin Zhao ◽  
Jun Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Data Driven Approach
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