<sorry for any x-posting> Hello Folks I have uploaded the following papers on our website. Many thanks to all the authors for their submissions. Best Karim <freezing in Boston> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Paper 1 Authors: Fleming, Lee & David Waguespack Title: Penguins, Camels, and Other Birds of a Feather: Brokerage, Boundary Spanning, and Leadership in Open Innovation Communities http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/flemingwaguespack.pdf Abstract: What types of human and social capital identify the emergence of leaders of open innovation communities? Consistent with the norms of an engineering culture, we find that future leaders must first make strong technical contributions. Beyond technical contributions, they must then integrate their voluntary communities in order to avoid the ever present danger of forking and balkanization. This is enabled by two correlated but distinct social positions: brokerage, and boundary spanning between technological modules. An inherent lack of trust associated with brokerage positions can be overcome through physical interaction or contributions within technological boundaries. Successful leaders are thus the product of strong technical contribution and a structural position that can bind the community together. Paper 2 Author: Iannaci, Federico Title: Coordination Processes in Open Source Software Development: The Linux Case Study http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/iannacci3.pdf Abstract: Although open source projects have been subject to extensive study, their coordination processes are still poorly understood. Drawing on organization theory, this paper sets out to remedy this imbalance by showing that large-scale open source projects exhibit three main coordination mechanisms, namely standardization, loose coupling and partisan mutual adjustment. Implications in terms of electronically-mediated communications and networked interdependencies are discussed in the final sections where a new light is cast on the concept of structuring as a by-product of localized adjustments. Paper 3 Author: Shah, Sonali Title: Open Beyond Software http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/shah4.pdf Abstract: The "community-based" model has generated many of the innovations we use on a daily basis. The social structure created by this model has cultivated many entrepreneurial ventures and even seeded new industries and product categories. In this paper, I discuss three elements of this model and present four exemplars of the model that span fields and centuries. I conclude by reframing our view of the innovation process as driven by the activities of firms and research institutions and discussing implications for firms and policy. Paper 4 (in Spanish) Author: Carlos Emilio Biscay Title: Open Source en el e-learning: ¿Una cuestión de mente? - Análisis del fenómeno del Open source en el e-learning, situación actualy tendencias - http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/biscay.pdf Abstract Primeramente vamos a ver ¿Qué es el Open source? ¿Cuáles son sus objetivos y sus características fundamentales?. En segundo lugar haremos un recorrido histórico de los últimos años, identificando los principales desarrollos del Open source y sus tendencias, especialmente en el área de la educación superior. En tercer lugar mostramos el Proyecto Sakai, donde un grupo de Universidades de Primer nivel están uniendo fuerzas para integrar y para sincronizar su software educativo en una colección de herramientas de Open source para e-learning. A continuación haremos mencionaremos los principales aplicaciones de OS en general. Seguidamente, he de tratar de poner de relieve los aspectos técnicos y psicológicos que están presentes en el Open Source y sus protagonistas y las razones económicas, políticas y culturales que se vinculan o crean un contexto favorable al crecimiento de las soluciones de open source en el mercado y especialmente en mercado del e-learning. Finalmente y como síntesis de estas cuestiones describimos el caso concreto de la Universidad de Wisconsin, que actualmente junto a otras instituciones educativas se ha sumado en el proyecto Sakai. Paper 5 Authors Ioannis Samoladas, Ioannis Stamelos Title Assessing Free/Open Source Software Quality http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/samoladasstamelos.pdf Abstract: According to its proponents, one of the most acclaimed advantages of Free/Open Source Software (F/OSS) is its superior quality. However, this suggestion is an open issue, since there is little concrete evidence to justify whether F/OSS quality is indeed better or worse than that of proprietary software products. The general perspective of this article is to discuss the current status of F/OSS quality and to assess its performance in various aspects of quality, based on existing literature. Specifically, this article will provide some answers to various questions raised by the assertion concerning the quality of F/OSS. In this regard issues addressed in this article include the quality framework, through which F/OSS quality should be investigated and the performance of F/OSS in various quality factors within this quality framework. Answers to these issues are given by providing evidence from various research papers, empirical studies and reports based on experience about the quality of F/OSS products. The overall results seem to indicate that F/OSS has achieved an acceptable level of quality, although there is more to be done in order to outperform proprietary software. Paper 6 Author: Imhorst, Christian Title: Anarchy and Source Code - What does the Free Software Movement have to do with Anarchism? http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/imhorst.pdf Abstract: What does the hacker ethic have to do with anarchism? Why does Richard Stallman, an outstanding personality of the free software movement, described himself as an anarchist? We should not imagine the anarchists of the Free Software Movement to be like the cartoon image: A scruffy looking lunatic, with a crazy glint in his eyes and bristling with weapons. Instead of chaos, Stallman postulates a new form of order for the intellectual property in the terms of the hacker ethic - the access to knowledge should be free, decentralized, anti-bureaucratic and anti-authoritarian. Bachelor's Thesis Author: Frost, Jonathon Title: Some Economic & Legal Aspects of Open Source Software http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/frost.pdf Abstract: The emergence of open source software as a viable economic model has risen to the forefront in the debate on the future of the information technology industry. However, at first glance, the open source software development model is strikingly enigmatic and counterintuitive. To help better understand this phenomenon, this paper, through market data and economic theory, proceeds to ask and answer three related questions. First, what is the economic relationship between open source software development communities and proprietary software firms? Second, what are the resulting effects on market innovation and innovation incentives? And third, what legal mechanisms allow for the sustainability of open source software and should they be expanded or reduced? This paper concludes that open source activity appears to be generating four economic effects, whose net effect on innovation in the software market is ambiguous. -- Karim R. Lakhani MIT Sloan | The Boston Consulting Group Mobile: +1 (617) 851-1224 http://spoudaiospaizen.net http://web.mit.edu/lakhani/www | http://opensource.mit.edu