Investigating Power Relations in Open Source Software Ecosystems

Abstract

Context: Relationships within open-source software ecosystems (OSSECO) emerge from collaborations within an ecosystem. Power relations are present in this context whenever an entity has the power of making other entities act as it wants them to act. Therefore, these power relations could affect collaboration within an OSSECO. Objective: This research aims at investigating power relations and providing an understanding of them in OSSECO. A conceptual model will be refined and will represent the power relations and their dynamics. Method: A systematic mapping study was conducted to gather knowledge about power relations from previous studies, and a survey research, considering this knowledge, was conducted with randomly selected npm OSSECO community members to evaluate that knowledge. Next, interviews with selected ecosystem community members will be conducted to identify the types of power relations and their dynamics within an OSSECO. Based on the results from the previous phases, a conceptual model to represent power relations and their dynamics in OSSECO will be refined. Results: The literature review and the survey research with the npm OSSECO community show that, as expected, power relations are present and affect relationships and interactions within an OSSECO. Hierarchy and financial rewards seem to be related to the power relations within the OSSECO. Implications: Identifying power relations that might be present within an OSSECO would enable those who study or are members of the ecosystem's community to understand previous movements and predict future decisions based on the power relations present in their OSSECO.

An Approach for Community Smells with Power Relationship Dynamics in Proprietary Software Ecosystems

“…During the conception phase, a systematic mapping study on community smells associated with social debts was conducted. A focus group was also conducted to adapt the power relationship dynamics present in OSSECO, identified in [Farias 2022], to PSECO. Furthermore, a multivocal literature review on community smells is intended to amplify the research and observations on the subject and verify the "state of practice".…”

“…A previous search on community smells in secondary studies did not return results about a mapping of the community smell field. In terms of power in SECO, some studies, such as [Farias et al 2021], investigated power relations in open source software ecosystem, whereas [Linåker et al 2020] investigated OSSECO companies and the influence of stakeholders in the requirements engineering process. Both works did not discuss relationships with community smells.…”

“…Regarding the focus group, the study was intended to identify which OSSECO power relationship dynamics from [Farias 2022] would be present in PSECO, as well as whether there would be any other existing dynamics. The meeting lasted about an hour and brought together four experts on SECO and power relationships.…”