Open Source Software

Title:  Evolution in Open Access Software: A Case Study

Author: Michael W. Godfrey and Qiang Tu

Publisher: IEEE Computer Society

URL:  http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=850948.853411

Abstract:

Majority of software evolution studies have been done on systems developed within a single company using usual management techniques. Through the extensive availability of some large software systems that have been developed through the use of an “open source” development approach, a chance have been given to examine these systems in detail. We can also see if their evolutionary narratives is significantly different from commercially developed systems. This paper puts into summary our preliminary investigations into the evolution of the Linux operating system kernel, which is the best known open source system. Because Linux is large (with over two million lines of code in the most recent version) and because its development model is not as tightly planned and managed as most industrial software processes, we expected to find that Linux was growing more slowly as it got bigger and more complex. Instead, we found out that Linux has been growing at a super-linear rate for several years. We also explored the evolution of the Linux kernel both at the system level and within the major subsystems, and we also discussed why we think Linux continues to exhibit such a strong growth.

Three things I learned from the article:

1. Linux operating system is a very successful instance of a large software system developed using the open source system.

2. The evolution of a software system should not only depend on size and age but also on factors such as the nature of the system itself (i.e., its application domain), prior experience with the system, and the procedures, technologies, and organizational frameworks used by the company that developed the software.

3. I learned that while anybody can contribute to the development of the software system, the originator/owner has the decision which contributions will be incorporated on the official release.

Application/Implication of what I've learned to my work/to me as a person:

Open source software may help the libraries to cut down the expenses. But, librarians should study first and carefully choose before selecting the open source software that they will be using.