The Linux Kernel Development As A Model of Open Source Knowledge …

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The Linux-kernel. survey shows that the majority of respondents have contributed in forms that do not require. computer programming. …

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The Linux Kernel Development
As A Model of Open Source Knowledge Creation
Gwendolyn K. Lee
Robert E. Cole
Haas School of Business
December 2000
Abstract
The Linux kernel development project was among the first attempts that make a
deliberate effort to use globally connected software developers as the main source of talent and
input to create an important, Open Source software. Based on the Linux project, we have built a
model of Open Source knowledge creation to study how thousands of talented volunteers, who
are dispersed across organizational and geographical boundaries, collaborate via the Internet to
produce a knowledge- intensive product of high quality. Comparing and contrasting the Linux
model with the traditional/commercial model of software development, we focus on four issues
critical to software development: intellectual property licensing, incentive to contribute,
coordination mechanisms, and production process. Recognizing that the applicability of the
model may be constrained if business firms do not have the supporting infrastructure and work
practices, we propose several areas where the model can be adapted and how the adapted models
are useful to business firms.2
I. INTRODUCTION
How does a distributed group of individuals, who are dispersed across space, time, and
organizational boundaries, organize themselves to create a useful product? The advent of the
Internet and web-based technologies has enabled specialized communities to convene, interact,
and share resources extensively via ele ctronic interfaces. One prominent example is the Open
Source community, which shares the source code of the software that its members have
developed collectively with anyone who wishes to download via the Internet free-of-charge. 1
The Linux operating system development project is among the first attempts to make a deliberate
effort to use the globally connected software developers as its main source of talent and input to
create a widely shared and used software product. As a natural experiment, the Linux project has
demonstrated the feasibility of a large-scale on-line collaboration effort where developers and
users can be one and the same - though over time, the proportion of “non-developer users” grows
more rapidly than that of “developer users.”
Linux type of phenomena are increasingly popular beyond the Open Source community
as the use of the Internet increases. For example, the Open Directory Project provides…