Free/Open Source Software Development: Recent Research Results and Emerging Opportunities

The focus of this paper is to review what is known about Free and Open Source Software Development (FOSSD) work practices, development processes, project and community dynamics, and other socio-technical relationships. It focuses on exploring how FOSS is developed and evolved based on an extensive review of a set of empirical studies of FOSSD projects that articulate different levels of analysis. These characterize what has been analyzed in FOSSD studies across levels that examine: why individuals participate; resources and capabilities supporting development activities; how cooperation, coordination, and control are realized in projects; alliance formation and inter-project social networking; FOSS as a multi-project software ecosystem, and FOSS as a social movement.