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Motivation to participate in Free / Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) Projects and Communities

Introduction

Before beginning

Before developing a new FLOSS project it is always wise to research around your problem. Perhaps there is an existing project that is already doing what you want? The project may not have been entirely successful, but it may provide a useful point for you to pick up.

Introduction to the the motivation to participate in FLOSS

A significant number of software industry's executive members, people working in IT, managers, simple computer users and the public in general recognize the relative success of the Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) in today's technological and computer science related environment. Many of them are still puzzled by what appears to be an irrational and altruistic behavior shown by the communities and the movement's participants. Developers and associates give away code, reveal information about their projects and help total strangers to find solutions or solve their problems, without any sort of payment. Understanding the motivations of FLOSS developers is an important step in determining what is behind the big success of the FLOSS model in particular and other forms of distributed technological innovation and development in general.

Main Part

What are we talking about?

Motivation is essential for participants in free/libre/open source projects and communities to keep on participating and contributing their knowledge and efforts. This motivation takes many forms, either intrinsic (motivation due to the inherent satisfaction of doing something) or extrinsic (motivation due to external factors such as rewards, punishments e.t.c). Motivation to participate in FLOSS communities is mostly intrinsic since most developers report that they engage in FLOSS because they find it intellectually stimulating and "fun". This type of motivation is also a great driver for success due to the sense of fulfillment that it gives to a participant.

In any case, whatever the motivational pattern, participants in FLOSS projects have the opportunity to give and receive knowledge while doing something that they find useful and fun to do. Several companies have picked up on these motivational characteristics and now support employees to participate and contribute to FLOSS projects.

What is the motivation to contribute?

Economic Motivations

• Free/Libre Open Source software allows small enterprises to afford innovation
• FLOSS projects can be independent of the price and licence policies of large software companies
• Good IT specialists are easy to be found in the field of Free Software
• Opening the source code allows developers to gain reputation among their customers and competitors

Social Motivations

• Developers agree with the values of the Free Software movement
• Developers wish to place their source code and programming skills at the hands of the Free Software community and hope that others will do the same
• Developers and the community think that software should not be a proprietary asset

Technological Motivations

• Contributions and feedback from the Free Software community are very useful in fixing bugs and improving software
• The reliability and quality of Open Source software
• Easiness of accessing code written by other programmers that can be used to develop new programs and products
• Getting products that are not available on the proprietary software market

Goal Motivations

• One of the most important motivations for people to participate in FLOSS projects is that they have a direct interest in its success, because they use it themselves. If the project’s ends have no impact upon each individual participant it is possible that they will not give their all towards achieving it. When the project’s end is of direct consequence to members, each is likely to feel that they are working towards a solution for their own problems.
• Forkability is often said to be important in FLOSS projects – the possibility that the project can be taken in a different and separate direction by those who want to leave the group and pursue a different focus. The possibility of forking again means that individuals are likely to commit to the project.

Why do you help others?

What motivates you to develop content other than code, e.g. manuals, demos, How-To guides?

What motivates you to moderate forums, or to answer postings?

Advantages

What works well

Criticism

What does not work that well, what needs to be improved, etc.

Examples

Including practical activities

How could it work in education?

Translation of FLOSS principles to education

Summary / Resume

What have we learned here?

Questions

Aspects to be answered

See also

Internal and external links to related resources

Notes and references

Resources used, literature, etc

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