A case study of open source software development

TLDR

Open‑source software development is claimed to compete with, and sometimes replace, traditional commercial development methods. The study investigates the development process of the Apache web server to test these claims. The authors analyze email archives of source‑code changes and issue reports to quantify developer participation, core team size, code ownership, productivity, defect density, and problem‑resolution intervals. The analysis shows that Apache’s process performs well on key metrics and suggests that hybrid models combining OSS and commercial practices can yield high‑performance software development.

Abstract

According to its proponents, open source style software development has the capacity to compete successfully, and perhaps in many cases displace, traditional commercial development methods. In order to begin investigating such claims, we examine the development process of a major open source application, the Apache web server. By using email archives of source code change history and problem reports we quantify aspects of developer participation, core team size, code ownership, productivity, defect density, and problem resolution interval for this OSS project. This analysis reveals a unique process, which performs well on important measures. We conclude that hybrid forms of development that borrow the most effective techniques from both the OSS and commercial worlds may lead to high performance software processes.