SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH: UNDERSTANDING AND IDENTIFYING CONTRIBUTOR DISENGAGEMENT IN OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE
Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Natural Sciences
First Advisor
Lepinski, Matthew
Area of Concentration
Computer Science
Abstract
Open-Source contributors push security updates, new features, and bugfixes to our digital infrastructure. Previous research has shown that the loss of just a single contributor can have disastrous effects on the health of an open-source project. The loss of a single project can leave ripples in both other projects, and the various software that implements said project. This thesis explores and identifies the various reasons why contributors disengage from open-source software. Using an alternative approach to finding contributors, I identified 45 contributors who have either disengaged from an open-source project, or from open-source entirely. This approach utilizes grey literature that often provides us with an in-the-moment look at the factors that caused disengagement. Through the process of qualitative coding, I coded 117 different reasons why contributors disengaged and identified categories in relationship to said codes.
Recommended Citation
Gray, Philip, "SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH: UNDERSTANDING AND IDENTIFYING CONTRIBUTOR DISENGAGEMENT IN OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE" (2023). Theses & ETDs. 6371.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6371