scholarly journals Valve’s Organization: Opportunities and open questions

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Von Krogh ◽  
Nina Geilinger
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Common Knowledge ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Self Selection ◽  
Open Questions

Valve is a very interesting case study! The company shares many features with open source software projects. In Valve, as in the open source world, the focus is on creating advanced technologies and letting developers self-select projects and tasks. Self-selection seems to work particularly well in an environment where technology development itself has a coordinating function. In software development, people have a strong bond of common knowledge based on design philosophies and approaches, language and terminology, and engineering tasks. In most cases, they also share a similar educational background and/or development experience that helps them implement creative ideas in physical machines and graphic environments. Developers rarely rely on detailed instructions from higher-level managers because they already have the implicit knowledge of what needs to be done. When inconsistent views about development come to the forefront, they are best reconciled where the knowledge resides: with the experts. Moreover, it appears that Valve has uncovered how developers’ self-selection of projects and tasks can be a powerful motivator to unleash their creativity.

The Social Production of Ethics in Debian and Free Software Communities

2005 ◽  
pp. 273-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.G. Coleman ◽  
Benjamin Hill
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Free Software ◽  
Social Production ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Collaborative Development ◽  
Software Licenses ◽  
The Social ◽  
Volunteer Labor ◽  
Ethnographic Analysis

This chapter examines the way that participation in Free software projects increases commitments to information freedom among participants. With the Debian project as its core case study, it argues that in Free and Open Source software communities, ethics are reinforced through the sustained collaborative development of code and discussions and decisions around Free software licenses and project policy. In the final section, the chapter draws on the ethnographic analysis of ethical cultivation in Debian to describe a model of ethical volunteerism based on institutional independence, volunteer labor, and networks of trust that is applicable to a range of vocations.

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.

Volunteers in Large Libre Software Projects

2007 ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Michlmayr ◽  
Gregorio Robles ◽  
Jesus M. Gonzalez-Barahona
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Voluntary Work ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Free Open Source Software ◽  
Libre Software ◽  
Free Open Source ◽  
Over Time

Most libre (free, open source) software projects rely on the work of volunteers. Therefore, attracting people who contribute their time and technical skills is of paramount importance, both in technical and economic terms. This reliance on volunteers leads to some fundamental management challenges: Volunteer contributions are inherently difficult to predict, plan, and manage, especially in the case of large projects. In this chapter we present an analysis of the evolution over time of the human resources in large libre software projects, using the Debian project, one of the largest and most complex libre software projects based mainly in voluntary work, as a case study. We have performed a quantitative investigation of data corresponding to roughly seven years, studying how volunteer involvement has affected the software released by the project, and the developer community itself.

Dependencies, Networks, and Priorities in an Open Source Project

2011 ◽  
pp. 116-125
Author(s):  
Juha Järvensivu
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Network Characteristics ◽  
Project Networks ◽  
Open Source Project ◽  
Project Network ◽  
Network Studies

Dependencies between modern software projects are common. Jointly, such dependencies form a project network, where changes in one project cause changes to the others belonging to the same project network. This chapter discusses the issues of dependencies, distances, and priorities in open source project networks, from the standpoint of both technological and social networks. Thus, a multidisciplinary approach to the phenomenon of open source software (OSS) development is offered. There is a strong empirical focus maintained, since the aim of the chapter is to analyze OSS network characteristics through an in-depth, qualitative case study of one specifi c open source community: the Open Source Eclipse plug-in project Laika. In our analysis, we will introduce both internal and external networks associated with Laika, together with a discussion of how tightly they are intertwined. We will analyze both the internal and the external networks through the elements of mutuality, interdependence, distance, priorities, different power relations, and investments made in the relationships—elements chosen on the basis of analysis of the network studies literature.

Volunteers in Large Libre Software Projects

2009 ◽  
pp. 1865-1882
Author(s):  
Martin Michlmayr ◽  
Gregorio Robles ◽  
Jesus M. Gonzalez-Barahona
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
Voluntary Work ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Free Open Source Software ◽  
Libre Software ◽  
Free Open Source ◽  
Over Time

Most libre (free, open source) software projects rely on the work of volunteers. Therefore, attracting people who contribute their time and technical skills is of paramount importance, both in technical and economic terms. This reliance on volunteers leads to some fundamental management challenges: Volunteer contributions are inherently difficult to predict, plan, and manage, especially in the case of large projects. In this chapter we present an analysis of the evolution over time of the human resources in large libre software projects, using the Debian project, one of the largest and most complex libre software projects based mainly in voluntary work, as a case study. We have performed a quantitative investigation of data corresponding to roughly seven years, studying how volunteer involvement has affected the software released by the project, and the developer community itself.

Developing Country Perspectives on Software

2008 ◽  
pp. 1369-1389
Author(s):  
Xiaobai Shen
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Case Analysis ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Free Software ◽  
Technological Capabilities

This chapter looks at implications of the emerging global intellectual property (IP) regime for developing countries (DCs) and their attempts to improve their technological capabilities. It further highlights the new perspectives for DCs opened up by the emergence of non-proprietary (open source/free) software, such as Linux. A case study of the battle between Microsoft and Linux in China is used to explore the dilemmas faced by China in determining what IP regime (strict or weak) to adopt, and the threats and opportunities that either may pose for indigenous technology development. Based on the case analysis, the chapter criticizes the simplistic polarized views that have been presented of the implications of the global IP regime and of the potential of non-proprietary software. It explores some of the complex considerations about the interplay between technology strategy and IP protection for China and discusses the policy implications for China and other DCs.

Developing Country Perspectives on Software

2011 ◽  
pp. 227-247
Author(s):  
Xiaobai Shen
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Case Analysis ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Free Software ◽  
Technological Capabilities

This chapter looks at implications of the emerging global intellectual property (IP) regime for developing countries (DCs) and their attempts to improve their technological capabilities. It further highlights the new perspectives for DCs opened up by the emergence of non-proprietary (open source/free) software, such as Linux. A case study of the battle between Microsoft and Linux in China is used to explore the dilemmas faced by China in determining what IP regime (strict or weak) to adopt, and the threats and opportunities that either may pose for indigenous technology development. Based on the case analysis, the chapter criticizes the simplistic polarized views that have been presented of the implications of the global IP regime and of the potential of non-proprietary software. It explores some of the complex considerations about the interplay between technology strategy and IP protection for China and discusses the policy implications for China and other DCs.

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