Understanding the Role of Core Developers in Open Source Development

Abstract

Most Open Source Software projects fail, while only very few succeed. In this study, we examine the factors that may influence the success or failure of OSS projects. We particularly focus on OSS core developer roles. We separate core developers from other developers in the community and empirically examine their different roles. Based on our analysis of a data set comprising 300 open source projects, we demonstrate that both core-developer leadership and project-advocating activities are crucial in the development of OSS projects. This research also offers insight into the sustainability of OSS development and provides advice to practitioners in the OSS community on how to make their projects successful.