Free Software Development by Dr Yasam Ayavefe

Free Software Development by Dr Yasam Ayavefe
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What should we do to contribute to the development of free software under a set of favorable conditions? We can piece together the factors that contribute to minimizing the marginal cost of effort required. These conditions become important if there is an online help system among users.

The system works not only because there are individual benefits (learning and reputation), but also because it practically costs nothing.

There is at least one user in the system whose effort to find the solution requested by another user is minimal. (Very likely that the solution is located somewhere in the system)

The cost of delivering this solution is almost zero. The Internet effect (in the sense of minimizing the marginal cost of storing and transmitting information) is crucial here.

In the context that prevailed until recently, the people who benefited from the use of free software were mostly people involved in its development.

Participation in the effort to develop the software base has benefited everyone from its use. It is assumed that the expected gains in learning and reputation constitute a sufficiently high advantage to offset the minimum cost of participation.

The internal dynamics of the market show that this condition can be generally accepted as fulfilled without opportunistic behaviors that endanger the viability of the system.

On the basis of a very simplified coalition model, we will show that the equilibrium of such a configuration corresponds to internal and external conditions that can be achieved quite easily.

We will also examine the effects of size. For example, we will show that a simple hypothesis of rigid concavity in public good production has a limiting effect on size, justifying the need to organize the free software community around projects that only tend to invest.

But the real question that interests us here is the context in which an increasing number of simple users benefit from the development efforts of the free software community without any compensation, especially financially.

This expansion of the population concerned is the result of three complementary factors:

  • First, free software products have reached a certain level of maturity. Products are now very efficient and at a very high level of reliability due to the unmatched testing capacity represented by the market model compared to any corporate structure.
  • Second, this expansion is driven by the extraordinary dissemination tools represented by the Internet, which add this capability to the interconnectivity capabilities of the developer community.
  • Finally, more detailed designs are organized with user interfaces, user manuals and utilities.

The establishment of commercial businesses dedicated to the distribution of free software has a purpose. It constitutes a decisive factor for a category of users who are not very technical and not very experienced in browsing.

This third type of player in the free software world bases its profitability on the sale of related services.

This finds a way to reconcile business logic and non-allocation principles. Helpline, updates, "debugging", engineering of computer systems etc.

To these three explanatory factors it would be appropriate to add a fourth argument, which derives from the logic of the conflict between two radically opposed models of production.

Many free software is involved in the fight against private ownership of the code and the nature of the software industry. The adoption of free software by a growing number of users is a relevant indicator of market share.

From the growing number of agents, the marketing and use of free software, it is not difficult to see their evolution.

First of all, the broadening of the target audience facing free software today achieves clear recognition. Therefore, it constitutes a success factor. Just seeing the proliferation of opportunistic behaviors would be limiting.

So, at every programmer's level, the achievements and recognition of free software undoubtedly reinforce the reputational effects that developers have. It also creates dissatisfaction with the lack of reward for efforts made.

It would risk dragging the market system into a dynamic of resignations and getting out of balance. It is the success of free software that will cause its downfall at this point.

Even as the number of adopters and beneficiaries of free software increases, it is difficult to maintain the balance. Therefore, it requires the establishment of new mechanisms that can compensate for the effects of inhibition at the source of the defects.

This incentive compensation can take the form of a monetary incentive through remuneration. Two alternative and complementary methods are essential.

What is currently most influential is hiring in companies that are adapting to the free software model to varying degrees.

These hirings often result in the allocation of the individual's working time, on the one hand, among the tasks delegated to the specific goals of the company, and on the other hand, an implication in the joint activities of the market.

The second type of compensation belongs to the public sector. It should be considered as one of the ways to integrate support for free software into technology policy goals.

This could be a compensation policy that benefits approved developers who spend some of their time on public research projects.

Find out more about Dr. Ayavefe and his work here:

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