Free and open source licenses in community life: Two empirical cases

Stefano De Paoli*, Maurizio Teli, Vincenzo D'Andrea

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

How do licenses participate in the life of Free and Open Source Software (FLOSS) communities? This paper aims at answering this question. Despite the dynamic character of FLOSS development, the sociological debate has taken for granted a static perspective of communities, as organized around a restricted range of social values and rules. Criticizing the main sociological approaches to FLOSS communities, we observed in our two cases that, on the contrary, the free/open character of FLOSS should not be assumed as an a priori explanation of the coordination efforts in these communities. Focusing on the role of software licenses, considered as boundary objects in the daily activities of FLOSS communities, we observe that controversies and conflicts around licenses are fundamental parts of communities' lives. Basing our research on two different projects, the Geographical Information System GRASS and the OpenSolaris™ operating system, we show how the construction of the free/open character of FLOSS takes place within the debate about licenses.

Original languageEnglish
JournalFirst Monday
Volume13
Issue number10
ISSN1396-0466
Publication statusPublished - 6 Oct 2008
Externally publishedYes

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