Modularity has been seen as key to the success of OSS projects. However empirical studies on modu... more Modularity has been seen as key to the success of OSS projects. However empirical studies on modularity of OSS systems have resulted in confusing results. To account for underlying mechanisms of those confusing results, we systematically examine widely studied OSS projects. Based on our systematic review on technical and organizational structures, we suggest that organizational circumstances of OSS production are at least in a continuum of tightly-coupled and loosely-coupled organizational circumstances of production in which both geographically distributed volunteers and paid developers with organizational ties work together (albeit separately over time). Furthermore, organizational circumstances of OSS production appear to be dynamic, as firms move in and out of OSS production communities over time. In essence we argue that the reason for the confusing empirical results was a persistent assumption that organizational circumstances of OSS production are static or unitary; rather what matters is the organizational circumstances of production in any episode of contribution. This research agenda paper proposes future inquiries to develop a comprehensive picture of ecological shift in different levels of system modularity and organizational circumstances of OSS production over time and through episodes.
ABSTRACT This paper develops a theory of collaboration through superposition: the process of depo... more ABSTRACT This paper develops a theory of collaboration through superposition: the process of depositing separate layers on top of each other over time. The theory is developed in a study of development of community-based Free and Open Source Software (FLOSS), through a research arc of discovery (participant observation), replication (two archival case studies) and formalization (a model of developer choices).
This document provides an introduction to the research literature on online reputation systems. I... more This document provides an introduction to the research literature on online reputation systems. It has been written with a view to providing background and context for MMAPPS system design plans and is therefore focused on distributed systems. There is a companion annotated bibliography of summary and reading notes for many of the articles discussed in this document in the accompanying References.
We have just begun a three year NSF-funded project designed to improve our understanding of the s... more We have just begun a three year NSF-funded project designed to improve our understanding of the scientific software ecosystem. 2 As a foundation for this study we have interviewed 16 scientists from 5 different scientific collaborations associated with the Open Science Grid. Three collaborations are working in physics (one particle accelerator and two specialized observatories), one works in structural biology and the fifth assists scientists from a variety of domains in accessing Grid computational resources.
ABSTRACT Open contribution systems such as Wikipedia and Linux have been extraordinarily successf... more ABSTRACT Open contribution systems such as Wikipedia and Linux have been extraordinarily successful at eliciting contributions from many volunteers, but other projects struggle. While research has examined general motivations for contribution, we know little about what triggers contribution at a specific time. In this paper we mine the history of Wikipedia to understand the contribution process in the context of the many competing demands on users' attention at their computers.
ABSTRACT How do distributed, loosely connected software developers coordinate? That is, how do th... more ABSTRACT How do distributed, loosely connected software developers coordinate? That is, how do they understand and manage the dependencies between their work and the work of others? We contribute to this important and frequently studied area by developing a theoretical perspective that brings together insights from implicit and stigmergic perspectives on coordination. We illustrate our theoretical contribution with analysis of “lore” on best practices for open, distributed software collaboration.
Abstract This paper develops a theory of layered collaboration in the development of community-ba... more Abstract This paper develops a theory of layered collaboration in the development of community-based Free and Open Source Software (FLOSS). The theory is developed through a research arc of discovery (participant observation), replication (two archival case studies) and formalization (a model of developer choices).
Abstract—Coordination in software development teams has been a topic of perennial interest in emp... more Abstract—Coordination in software development teams has been a topic of perennial interest in empirical software engineering research. The vast majority of this literature has drawn on a conceptual separation between work and coordination mechanisms, separate from the work itself, which enable groups to achieve coordination. Traditional recommendations and software methods focused on planning: using analysis to predict and manage dependencies.
Abstract The idea of congruence between the structure of technical and work dependencies has been... more Abstract The idea of congruence between the structure of technical and work dependencies has been demonstrated in commercial software development but has not been explored in detail in free and open source software (FLOSS) development. Previous work identified 103 task episodes, selected from two FLOSS projects, and found that 83 were performed by single actors. We analyze the 20 tasks with multiple actors and find that 14 were performed in the absense of any discursive communication between developers.
Abstract We apply social network analysis (SNA) to examine the dynamics of leadership in distribu... more Abstract We apply social network analysis (SNA) to examine the dynamics of leadership in distributed groups, specifically Free/Libre Open Source Software development projects, and its relation to group performance. Based on prior work on leadership in distributed groups, we identify leaders with those who make the highest level of contribution to the group and assess the degree of leadership by measuring centralization of communications.
Abstract This paper investigates decision making in self-organizing technology-mediated distribut... more Abstract This paper investigates decision making in self-organizing technology-mediated distributed teams. This context provides an opportunity to examine how the use of technological support to span temporal and organizational discontinuities affects decision-making processes. 258 softwaremodification decision episodes were collected from the public emailing lists of six Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) projects over a span of five years.
Abstract This panel seeks to begin a discussion of how we can meaningfully compare and contrast b... more Abstract This panel seeks to begin a discussion of how we can meaningfully compare and contrast between the diverse instances of open collaboration and peer production employed on the Internet today. Current research on the topic have tended to be too platform-(eg Wikipedia) or domain-(eg Open source) specific. The panelists will be tasked with addressing this problem using their own expertise and research projects to bear on the issue.
Abstract: New organizations supported by information and communications technologies, such as ope... more Abstract: New organizations supported by information and communications technologies, such as open source software development and Wikipedia, have recently emerged with great and somewhat surprising success. These organizations are emergent, self-organizing and appear able to change and adapt as success breeds new challenges, all without undermining the creative| even emancipatory| collaborative experience.
ABSTRACT This paper discusses the value of software instrumentation in architecting the runtime b... more ABSTRACT This paper discusses the value of software instrumentation in architecting the runtime behavior of complex, sociotechnical ecosystems. Our solution is targeted at gathering metrics from scientific software communities in order to better understand them. We hope that by gathering information, such as usage frequency, operating systems in use, and execution time, that we can provide a valuable tool that helps administrators in complex decision-making regarding the potential evolutionary tracks for the community.
Abstract: FLOSSmole is a collaborative data repository which collects and provides data for resea... more Abstract: FLOSSmole is a collaborative data repository which collects and provides data for research on Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) and its development by online, distributed teams. The data is used by a research community that studies diverse questions from the evolution of software to how these groups make decisions, use various media and man-age change over time (Scacchi, 2007).
Abstract Online work projects, from open source to wikipedia, have emerged as an important phenom... more Abstract Online work projects, from open source to wikipedia, have emerged as an important phenomenon. These communities offer exciting opportunities to investigate social processes because they leave traces of their activity over time.
ABSTRACT Software plays an increasingly critical role in science, including data analysis, simula... more ABSTRACT Software plays an increasingly critical role in science, including data analysis, simulations, and managing workflows. Unlike other technologies supporting science, software can be copied and distributed at essentially no cost, potentially opening the door to unprecedented levels of sharing and collaborative innovation.
Software plays an increasingly critical role in science, including data analysis, simulations, an... more Software plays an increasingly critical role in science, including data analysis, simulations, and managing workflows. Unlike other technologies supporting science, software can be copied and distributed at essentially no cost, potentially opening the door to unprecedented levels of sharing and collaborative innovation. Yet we do not have a clear picture of how software development for science fits into the day-to-day practice of science, or how well the methods and incentives of its production facilitate realization of this potential. We report the results of a multiple-case study of software development in three fields: high energy physics, structural biology, and microbiology. In each case, we identify a typical publication, and use qualitative methods to explore the production of the software used in the science represented by the publication. We identify several different production systems, characterized primarily by differences in incentive structures. We identify ways in which incentives are matched and mismatched with the needs of the science fields, especially with respect to collaboration.
We review the empirical research on Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) development and asses... more We review the empirical research on Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) development and assess the state of the literature. Our review is organized around an input-mediator-output-input (IMOI) model. We start with a description of the articles ...
Modularity has been seen as key to the success of OSS projects. However empirical studies on modu... more Modularity has been seen as key to the success of OSS projects. However empirical studies on modularity of OSS systems have resulted in confusing results. To account for underlying mechanisms of those confusing results, we systematically examine widely studied OSS projects. Based on our systematic review on technical and organizational structures, we suggest that organizational circumstances of OSS production are at least in a continuum of tightly-coupled and loosely-coupled organizational circumstances of production in which both geographically distributed volunteers and paid developers with organizational ties work together (albeit separately over time). Furthermore, organizational circumstances of OSS production appear to be dynamic, as firms move in and out of OSS production communities over time. In essence we argue that the reason for the confusing empirical results was a persistent assumption that organizational circumstances of OSS production are static or unitary; rather what matters is the organizational circumstances of production in any episode of contribution. This research agenda paper proposes future inquiries to develop a comprehensive picture of ecological shift in different levels of system modularity and organizational circumstances of OSS production over time and through episodes.
ABSTRACT This paper develops a theory of collaboration through superposition: the process of depo... more ABSTRACT This paper develops a theory of collaboration through superposition: the process of depositing separate layers on top of each other over time. The theory is developed in a study of development of community-based Free and Open Source Software (FLOSS), through a research arc of discovery (participant observation), replication (two archival case studies) and formalization (a model of developer choices).
This document provides an introduction to the research literature on online reputation systems. I... more This document provides an introduction to the research literature on online reputation systems. It has been written with a view to providing background and context for MMAPPS system design plans and is therefore focused on distributed systems. There is a companion annotated bibliography of summary and reading notes for many of the articles discussed in this document in the accompanying References.
We have just begun a three year NSF-funded project designed to improve our understanding of the s... more We have just begun a three year NSF-funded project designed to improve our understanding of the scientific software ecosystem. 2 As a foundation for this study we have interviewed 16 scientists from 5 different scientific collaborations associated with the Open Science Grid. Three collaborations are working in physics (one particle accelerator and two specialized observatories), one works in structural biology and the fifth assists scientists from a variety of domains in accessing Grid computational resources.
ABSTRACT Open contribution systems such as Wikipedia and Linux have been extraordinarily successf... more ABSTRACT Open contribution systems such as Wikipedia and Linux have been extraordinarily successful at eliciting contributions from many volunteers, but other projects struggle. While research has examined general motivations for contribution, we know little about what triggers contribution at a specific time. In this paper we mine the history of Wikipedia to understand the contribution process in the context of the many competing demands on users' attention at their computers.
ABSTRACT How do distributed, loosely connected software developers coordinate? That is, how do th... more ABSTRACT How do distributed, loosely connected software developers coordinate? That is, how do they understand and manage the dependencies between their work and the work of others? We contribute to this important and frequently studied area by developing a theoretical perspective that brings together insights from implicit and stigmergic perspectives on coordination. We illustrate our theoretical contribution with analysis of “lore” on best practices for open, distributed software collaboration.
Abstract This paper develops a theory of layered collaboration in the development of community-ba... more Abstract This paper develops a theory of layered collaboration in the development of community-based Free and Open Source Software (FLOSS). The theory is developed through a research arc of discovery (participant observation), replication (two archival case studies) and formalization (a model of developer choices).
Abstract—Coordination in software development teams has been a topic of perennial interest in emp... more Abstract—Coordination in software development teams has been a topic of perennial interest in empirical software engineering research. The vast majority of this literature has drawn on a conceptual separation between work and coordination mechanisms, separate from the work itself, which enable groups to achieve coordination. Traditional recommendations and software methods focused on planning: using analysis to predict and manage dependencies.
Abstract The idea of congruence between the structure of technical and work dependencies has been... more Abstract The idea of congruence between the structure of technical and work dependencies has been demonstrated in commercial software development but has not been explored in detail in free and open source software (FLOSS) development. Previous work identified 103 task episodes, selected from two FLOSS projects, and found that 83 were performed by single actors. We analyze the 20 tasks with multiple actors and find that 14 were performed in the absense of any discursive communication between developers.
Abstract We apply social network analysis (SNA) to examine the dynamics of leadership in distribu... more Abstract We apply social network analysis (SNA) to examine the dynamics of leadership in distributed groups, specifically Free/Libre Open Source Software development projects, and its relation to group performance. Based on prior work on leadership in distributed groups, we identify leaders with those who make the highest level of contribution to the group and assess the degree of leadership by measuring centralization of communications.
Abstract This paper investigates decision making in self-organizing technology-mediated distribut... more Abstract This paper investigates decision making in self-organizing technology-mediated distributed teams. This context provides an opportunity to examine how the use of technological support to span temporal and organizational discontinuities affects decision-making processes. 258 softwaremodification decision episodes were collected from the public emailing lists of six Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) projects over a span of five years.
Abstract This panel seeks to begin a discussion of how we can meaningfully compare and contrast b... more Abstract This panel seeks to begin a discussion of how we can meaningfully compare and contrast between the diverse instances of open collaboration and peer production employed on the Internet today. Current research on the topic have tended to be too platform-(eg Wikipedia) or domain-(eg Open source) specific. The panelists will be tasked with addressing this problem using their own expertise and research projects to bear on the issue.
Abstract: New organizations supported by information and communications technologies, such as ope... more Abstract: New organizations supported by information and communications technologies, such as open source software development and Wikipedia, have recently emerged with great and somewhat surprising success. These organizations are emergent, self-organizing and appear able to change and adapt as success breeds new challenges, all without undermining the creative| even emancipatory| collaborative experience.
ABSTRACT This paper discusses the value of software instrumentation in architecting the runtime b... more ABSTRACT This paper discusses the value of software instrumentation in architecting the runtime behavior of complex, sociotechnical ecosystems. Our solution is targeted at gathering metrics from scientific software communities in order to better understand them. We hope that by gathering information, such as usage frequency, operating systems in use, and execution time, that we can provide a valuable tool that helps administrators in complex decision-making regarding the potential evolutionary tracks for the community.
Abstract: FLOSSmole is a collaborative data repository which collects and provides data for resea... more Abstract: FLOSSmole is a collaborative data repository which collects and provides data for research on Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) and its development by online, distributed teams. The data is used by a research community that studies diverse questions from the evolution of software to how these groups make decisions, use various media and man-age change over time (Scacchi, 2007).
Abstract Online work projects, from open source to wikipedia, have emerged as an important phenom... more Abstract Online work projects, from open source to wikipedia, have emerged as an important phenomenon. These communities offer exciting opportunities to investigate social processes because they leave traces of their activity over time.
ABSTRACT Software plays an increasingly critical role in science, including data analysis, simula... more ABSTRACT Software plays an increasingly critical role in science, including data analysis, simulations, and managing workflows. Unlike other technologies supporting science, software can be copied and distributed at essentially no cost, potentially opening the door to unprecedented levels of sharing and collaborative innovation.
Software plays an increasingly critical role in science, including data analysis, simulations, an... more Software plays an increasingly critical role in science, including data analysis, simulations, and managing workflows. Unlike other technologies supporting science, software can be copied and distributed at essentially no cost, potentially opening the door to unprecedented levels of sharing and collaborative innovation. Yet we do not have a clear picture of how software development for science fits into the day-to-day practice of science, or how well the methods and incentives of its production facilitate realization of this potential. We report the results of a multiple-case study of software development in three fields: high energy physics, structural biology, and microbiology. In each case, we identify a typical publication, and use qualitative methods to explore the production of the software used in the science represented by the publication. We identify several different production systems, characterized primarily by differences in incentive structures. We identify ways in which incentives are matched and mismatched with the needs of the science fields, especially with respect to collaboration.
We review the empirical research on Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) development and asses... more We review the empirical research on Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) development and assess the state of the literature. Our review is organized around an input-mediator-output-input (IMOI) model. We start with a description of the articles ...
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Papers by James Howison