TY - GEN
T1 - A study of online discussions in an open-source software
T2 - 2nd Communities and Technologies Conference, C and T 2005
AU - Barcellini, Flore
AU - Détienne, Françoise
AU - Burkhardt, Jean Marie
AU - Sack, Warren
PY - 2005/1/1
Y1 - 2005/1/1
N2 - This paper presents an analysis of online discussions in Open Source Software (OSS) design. The objective of our work is twofold. First, our research aims to understand and model the dynamics of OSS design that take place in mailing list exchanges. Second, our more long term objective is to develop tools to assist OSS developers to extract and reconstruct design relevant information from previous discussions. We show how quotation practices can be used to locate design relevant data in discussion archives. OSS developers use quotation as a mechanism to maintain the discursive context. To retrace thematic coherence in the online discussions of a major OSS project, Python, we follow how messages are linked through quotation practices. We compare our quotation-based analysis with a more conventional, thread-based analysis of the (reply-to) links between messages. The advantages of a quotation-based analysis over a thread-based analysis are outlined. Our approach provides a means to analyze argumentation and design rationales and promises a novel means to discover design relevant information in the archives of online discussions. Our analysis reveals also the links between the social structure and elements in the discussion space and how it shapes influence in the design process.
AB - This paper presents an analysis of online discussions in Open Source Software (OSS) design. The objective of our work is twofold. First, our research aims to understand and model the dynamics of OSS design that take place in mailing list exchanges. Second, our more long term objective is to develop tools to assist OSS developers to extract and reconstruct design relevant information from previous discussions. We show how quotation practices can be used to locate design relevant data in discussion archives. OSS developers use quotation as a mechanism to maintain the discursive context. To retrace thematic coherence in the online discussions of a major OSS project, Python, we follow how messages are linked through quotation practices. We compare our quotation-based analysis with a more conventional, thread-based analysis of the (reply-to) links between messages. The advantages of a quotation-based analysis over a thread-based analysis are outlined. Our approach provides a means to analyze argumentation and design rationales and promises a novel means to discover design relevant information in the archives of online discussions. Our analysis reveals also the links between the social structure and elements in the discussion space and how it shapes influence in the design process.
U2 - 10.1007/1-4020-3591-8-16
DO - 10.1007/1-4020-3591-8-16
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:33746657945
SN - 140203590X
SN - 9781402035906
T3 - Proceedings of the 2nd Communities and Technologies Conference, C and T 2005
SP - 301
EP - 320
BT - Proceedings of the 2nd Communities and Technologies Conference, C and T 2005
PB - Kluwer Academic Publishers
Y2 - 13 June 2005 through 16 June 2005
ER -