A Framework to Represent Antecedents of User Interest in Open-Source Software Projects

Abstract

This paper uses a literature survey to gain an insight into existing studies on the success of open source software (OSS) projects. Current literature has studied various aspects of OSS success such as project activity, user interest, and project effectiveness. However, this study focuses on user interest because, according to prior research, a higher user interest contributes to positive project outcomes (e.g. product quality, project performance, and project vitality). Based on the literature survey in this study, we found 43 conceptually distinct determinants of user interest in OSS projects. We classified them into 7 broad categories of including project status, project characteristics, community contribution, process, network structure, product characteristics, and resources. Implications for practice and research are also presented.