Blog 6: October 3rd
There are many very popular and successful open-source software (OSS) projects that have been developed by many individuals who have dedicated their time and expertise anonymously. Some of these projects are Android, WordPress, and Linux, but not all OSS projects are as widely known. In fact, most of the OSS projects that developers contribute to are not as well-known to the public. As developers, there are two main reasons why one might dedicate their time to contribute to OSS: intrinsic or extrinsic motives. Intrinsic motives are when someone wants to contribute because it is a hobby for them—it is enjoyable, and they find the challenge enticing. Extrinsic motives are when a developer expects a return for their contribution, which is often a monetary value. In the paper titled "Intrinsic Motivation in Open Source Software Development," the authors delve into the phenomenon of why an army of volunteer developers would commit and dedicate their time to low-visibility project...