Evolution of an Open Source Community Network – An Exploratory Study

Saraf, N., Seary, A., Chandrasekaran, D., and Monge, P. 2013. "Evolution of an Open Source Community Network," in Advances in Network Analysis and its Applications, E. Kranakis (ed.).

32 Pages Posted: 15 Feb 2012 Last revised: 4 Dec 2014

See all articles by Nilesh Saraf

Nilesh Saraf

Simon Fraser University (SFU) - Beedie School of Business

Andrew Seary

Simon Fraser University (SFU) - School of Communication

Deepa Chandrasekaran

University of Texas at Austin

Peter Monge

University of Southern California - Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Date Written: February 14, 2013

Abstract

The study attempts to better understand the evolution of the network structure using two snapshots of the developer-project affiliations in an Open Source Software (OSS) community. We use complex networks and social network theory to guide our analysis. We proceed by first extracting separate bipartite networks of projects in each of the five development stages – planning, pre-alpha, alpha, beta and production/stables stages. Then, by analyzing changes in the network using degree distributions, assortativity, component sizes, visualizations and p-star models, we try to infer the project-joining behavior of the OSS developers. Simulations are used to establish the significance of some findings. Highlights of our results are the higher levels of assortativity and networking in the Beta and Stable subnetworks, and a surprisingly higher level of connectivity of the Planning subnetwork. Significant clustering of projects is observed based on the programming language but not on other project attributes, including even license.

Suggested Citation

Saraf, Nilesh and Seary, Andrew and Chandrasekaran, Deepa and Monge, Peter, Evolution of an Open Source Community Network – An Exploratory Study (February 14, 2013). Saraf, N., Seary, A., Chandrasekaran, D., and Monge, P. 2013. "Evolution of an Open Source Community Network," in Advances in Network Analysis and its Applications, E. Kranakis (ed.)., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2005302 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2005302

Nilesh Saraf (Contact Author)

Simon Fraser University (SFU) - Beedie School of Business ( email )

8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6
Canada

Andrew Seary

Simon Fraser University (SFU) - School of Communication ( email )

8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6
Canada

Deepa Chandrasekaran

University of Texas at Austin ( email )

2317 Speedway
Austin, TX Texas 78712
United States
3236330823 (Phone)

Peter Monge

University of Southern California - Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism ( email )

3502 Watt Way, Suite 304
Los Angeles, CA 90089
United States

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