This book contributes new insights into the organization of free/open source (F/OS) software communities by examining the links between learning, division of labour and commercialization, demonstrating the need for a synthesis of work on both community organization and cooperation to understand F/OS community dynamics. These aspects are examined in the light of detailed case studies of the GNOME and KDE projects. This book offers an innovative theoretical framework, a critical assessment of various methodologies for examining the organisation of F/OS communities, and a typology of commercial involvement in F/OS. The analysis reveals the diversity and evolution of F/OS communities and their connections with other socio-economic networks and institutional practices. The insights afforded by the book have implications for future research and the design and implementation of open source efforts.
'This book provides a thorough academic treatise of the open source phenomenon from a multitude of viewpoints, with special emphasis of the under-researched topic of commercialization' Stefan Koch, Vienna University of Economics
'The ‘next steps in the open source revolution’ have been promised by many but few have laid the basic groundwork of connecting real examples from open source practice to actual concepts underpinned by strong theoretical ideas. This book is all the more commendable for succeeding in this far from trivial task' Brian Fitzgerald, University of Limerick
1. Introduction 2. Technologies of Communities and Peer Production: Disentagling Power Relations in Fl/Oss Development 3. Fl/Oss as an Object of Research: Methodological and Disciplinary Issues 4. Commercial Involvement and Fl/Oss 5. The Community, the Firm and the Two Economies 6. Learning and the Division of Labour in Fl/Oss 7. The Story So Far: Technologies of Communities and Peer Production 8. Conclusions
This innovative series explores the role of innovation and innovation management and technological advances from an organizational perspective. This series brings together theories from a wide range of individual disciplines and examines both the internal understanding and management and also an external, shareholder perspective. Routledge Studies in Innovation, Organizations and Technology (RIOT!) features cutting -edge research addressing all the major issues in business and management today, helping to define and advance the field.