|
TeachingEngineering Tools ResearchEngineering Process ResearchBusiness Model ResearchPolicy ImplicationsToday, Thorsten Edelhäußer passed his Ph.D. exam and thesis defense. Congratulations, Dr. Edelhäußer! Below, please find some photo impressions from the proceedings and the ensuing celebrations!
Continue reading Promotion of Thorsten Edelhäußer Abstract: Although open source software has developed from a negligible phenomenon to an integral part of today’s business world, there are still companies which cannot see its commercial viability. As a consequence, these companies keep on ignoring this wide-spread trend, therefore missing possible profits and the chance to gain an advantage over their competitors. In order to provide arguments for the economic potential of open source software, a comprehensive model of commercially viable product features is described in the present thesis. This hierarchically structured model was created based on interview analysis, literature research and expert discussions and provides a detailed analysis of each feature, while explaining why these features are of economic value. Additionally, practical knowledge of open source companies is incorporated into this work through the use of a survey. The results of this survey are used to validate and expand the model and to generate insight about both importance and bundling of features. In the end, the reader will see which aspects of open source software products can be used to generate profit. Keywords: Open source; commercial open source; single-vendor open source; open core model; open source distributors; product features; software product feature model PDFs: Master Thesis, Aufgabenstellung Reference: Florian Weikert. Product Features in Commercial Open Source Software. Bachelor Thesis, Friedrich Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg: 2012. The Open Source Research Group is looking back on a second successful year at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). Overview
1. ResearchIn our open source software engineering research, empirical work is farthest ahead, with interesting results: For example, by analyzing developer work rhythms we were able to show that most open source is being developed weekdays, 9-5, on company time. No surprise, you might say, but someone had to prove it. In the same vein, we have been empirically analyzing open source programming behavior, with more interesting results on how to improve tools to be published next year. Continue reading Letter to Stakeholders (Year-End 2011) The Open Source Research Group is trying to understand what precisely open source companies are selling to their customers. To that end, we are undertaking a survey aimed at commercially viable product features of open source products and services. We would be thankful if you could take the survey and help us validate our results. All survey participants will receive a summary of the survey results before the general public will learn about it through our publications. The survey: http://osr.cs.fau.de/surveys/index.php?sid=22369 Thank you! Bearingpoint Consulting has teamed up with the Open Source Research group and is providing a survey on the use of open source software in the automotive industry. Bearingpoint is a leading European strategic management consulting firm. Martin Helmreich, one of our graduates, recently started to work at Bearingpoint. You can find the survey on the Bearingpoint website. It is currently open and we hope you will take it! Die Open-Source-Forschungsgruppe an der FAU betreibt empirische Forschung, in der mathematische Modellbildung der untersuchten Phänomene eine wichtige Rolle spielt. Deswegen sind wir auf der Suche nach mathematischer Kompetenz für Bachelor und Master-Arbeiten. Idealerweise mögen Sie auch Open Source :-) oder zumindest die Herausforderung mit grossen relevanten (realen!) Datenmengen zu arbeiten. Die Daten liegen bereits vor. Continue reading Mathematische Modellierung von Open Source You may have been reading Matt Aslett’s analysis of the trend to permissive licensing as well Gordon Half’s discussion of this trend. I enjoyed reading them and agree with the overall trend. I don’t quite agree with the predicted downfall of Copyleft licenses, though, and I love the irony of it. Strong copyleft licenses play an important role in dual-core licensing as in single-vendor open source software. Copyleft is a tool by which vendors ascertain their (effective) ownership over some piece of software. Thus, the invention of copyleft benefits a specific commercial go-to-market strategy. If you are a student at FAU and would like to further analyse this trend, please talk to me. We have a large database on open source project data and we’ve been looking for a competent student for a while to correlate various factors and how they contribute to open source community growth. Abstract (from introduction): [...] Diese Bachelorarbeit soll sich der Aufgabe annehmen, Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede von Open-Source-Vereinigungen in einem Vergleichsschema zusammenzuführen. Hierfür werden zunächst sechs Open-Source-Vereinigungen analysiert und daraus relevante Vergleichsdimensionen und -beschreibungen entwickelt. Anschließend soll dieses erstellte Schema anhand weiterer vier Vereinigungen validiert und schließlich auf deren Stärken und Schwächen untersucht werden. PDFs: Final thesis (in German), original work description Reference: Sebastian Berschneider. Analyse und Vergleich von Open Source Vereinigungen. Bachelorarbeit, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg: 2011. Abstract: Open source software offers great chances in software development through cost savings and shorter time to market. Open source software is used by companies – in some cases consciously, in others unconsciously, which puts its implications on the business. This thesis deals with these implications. Threats a company might face are outlined and best practices to counter them are named. This work was performed as a combination of research in publications and interviews with employees at companies that deal with open source components. Result of this research on the one hand is a set of threat scenarios and on the other hand a set of best practices a company should follow to avoid problems arising form the use of open source software. Finally, it can be stated that open source software can be handled without putting the business at risk. The number of practices to follow and the actions to perform is manageable. PDFs: Final thesis (in English), original work description Reference: Martin Helmreich. Best Practices of Adopting Open Source Software in Closed Source Software Products. Diplomarbeit, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg: 2011. |
|
|||
|
Copyright © 2012 Open Source Research Group - All Rights Reserved |
|||||
