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Developer autonomy in the FreeBSD open source project

Author

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  • Niels Jørgensen

Abstract

Delegation of authority is the basic approach to coordination of work in FreeBSD, an open source software (OSS) project that develops and maintains an operating system. This essay combines a software engineering perspective with a knowledge creation perspective to discuss three central mechanisms in FreeBSD: (1) motivation, (2) quality control by frequent building, and (3) bugfixing by parallel debugging. It is argued that frequent building is the project’s key coordinating mechanism, and that build breakdowns play a constructive role in the processes of knowledge creation in FreeBSD. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007

Suggested Citation

  • Niels Jørgensen, 2007. "Developer autonomy in the FreeBSD open source project," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 11(2), pages 119-128, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:jmgtgv:v:11:y:2007:i:2:p:119-128
    DOI: 10.1007/s10997-007-9026-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ikujiro Nonaka, 1994. "A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 5(1), pages 14-37, February.
    2. Alan MacCormack & Roberto Verganti & Marco Iansiti, 2001. "Developing Products on "Internet Time": The Anatomy of a Flexible Development Process," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 47(1), pages 133-150, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Engelhardt, Sebastian v. & Freytag, Andreas, 2013. "Institutions, culture, and open source," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 90-110.

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