Norms related to "self regulation" in open source community

Abstract

Open source has gained tremendous attention in recent years. The free availability of source code, which can also be freely modified and redistributed, makes its usage easier. Open Source Software is characterized by its licenses, such that any user who modifies the software and then redistributes it either must or may make available to those who receive it the source code that defines the software and their any modifications. A number of Open Source software licenses exist in a continuum of legal rights and obligations ranging from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) license, which permits but does not require providing source code, to the General Public License (GPL), which mandates source code availability for all users1. Apart from these licenses there are other factors, which are very important for the success of an OSS project. There is no formal mechanism to maintain checks on work of people in terms of efforts they put in and time they devote. The only check, which can and is performed, is at the final stage when the code has been made. Also the fact that this society is highly fragmented, it becomes a mystery how this big community works without meeting each other and continuously contributing to the society. Hence in this research project we aim to identify these motivations and structure related factors, which affect this society and maintain its efficiency and popularity.