The Relevance of SourceForge Data in the Age of GitHub

Abstract

GitHub's current prominence over SourceForge among Open Source Software (OSS) developers calls into question the continued relevance of SourceForge data, as well as the external validity and relevance of studies that investigate OSS theories using SourceForge data. In this paper, we investigate the continued relevance of SourceForge data and propose that using SourceForge or GitHub data is not an either/or proposition but rather two parts of a bigger picture. Echoing the call in the IS literature to contextualize theories, we highlight a number of significantly different contextual factors apparent in the two data sources and argue that data from both GitHub and SourceForge may be leveraged in comparative and replication studies to arrive at richer OSS theories. To enable engagement in cross-context comparative studies and the replication of OSS studies in multiple contexts, we suggest that the broader IS community should embrace a culture of open research to increase the transparency, replicability, and rigorousness of IS research.