Identifying knowledge brokers that yield software engineering knowledge in OSS projects
Information and Software TechnologyPublished 4 March 2006
Sulayman K. Sowe, Ioannis Stamelos, Lefteris Angelis
Citations80
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score1.04
SNIP2.15
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TL;DR
The impact of knowledge brokers and their associated activities in open source projects is investigated using three Debian lists as a case study and social network analysis was used to visualize how participants are affiliated with the lists.
Abstract
Much research on open source software development concentrates on developer lists and other software repositories to investigate what motivates professional software developers to participate in open source software projects. Little attention has been paid to individuals who spend valuable time in lists helping participants on some mundane yet vital project activities. Using three Debian lists as a case study we investigate the impact of knowledge brokers and their associated activities in open source projects. Social network analysis was used to visualize how participants are affiliated with the lists. The network topology reveals substantial community participation. The consequence of collaborating in mundane activities for the success of open source software projects is discussed. The direct beneficiaries of this research are in the identification of knowledge experts in open source software projects.
Keywords
Computer ScienceSocial Sciences
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