The emergence of quality assurance practices in free/libre open source software: A case study

Abstract

As the user base of Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) diversifies, the need for higher quality is becoming more evident. This implies a more complex development model that includes various steps which were previously associated exclusively with proprietary development such as a formal quality assurance step (QA). However, little research has been done on how implementing formal quality assurance impacts the structure of FLOSS communities. This study aims to start filling this gap by analyzing interactions within such a community. Plone is just one among many FLOSS projects that acknowledged the importance of verification by implementing a quality assurance step.