Iannacci, Frederico

federico.iannacci@canterbury.ac.uk

(2007)

The Social Epistemology of Open Source Software Development: the Linux case study

Despite the burgeoning literature on the open source software life cycle, the structural premises characterising this new way of software development are still poorly understood let alone the associated coordination processes.

By using an in-depth qualitative analysis of the Linux case study, this dissertation sets out to remedy this literature gap, its main argument pivoting around the assumption that, at their basic level, open source projects may be considered as sense-making or interpretation systems.

Based on the idea that sense-making is a crucial aspect of all social systems, this dissertation takes the double interact, that is a set of two contingent responses between or among perceived others, as its unit of analysis to cast a new light on the coordination processes within exploration-oriented open source projects in general and the Linux kernel development in particular.

Informed by Weick's enactment-selection-retention model, it is argued that, within these projects, developers coordinate their networked interdependencies through the additive use of a wide set of mechanisms ranging from standardised patch submission procedures and bug reporting routines to planned social filters and localised adjustments. It is further maintained that these mechanisms fall within a broader set of collective assumptions, premises and expectations, in this dissertation referred to as social epistemology, whereby social procedures stand for taken-for-granted practices within the Linux social setting.

Although overlooked in the information systems domain in general and the open source literature in particular, it is claimed that the focus on social epistemology is a fruitful area for future research on coordination processes within virtual work environments because it accounts for the patterned and predictable reproduction of social interactions over time.

Read the full thesis: The Social Epistemology of Open Source Software Development: the Linux case study (PDF)

Supervisor: Professor J Kallinikos

Dr. Federico Iannacci's personal web page.

Federico Iannacci is currently a Senior Lecturer in Information Management at the Canterbury Christchurch University

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