Standards and Open Source Software: Twins, Cousins, or Just Neighbours

摘要

It is not uncommon to see the term open source software (OSS) being discussed as if it was just another manifestation of standards. The underlying assumption is that OSS is derived in a very similar manner as that of standards. A superficial analysis may indicate that there is some truth to this assumption, but a more thorough investigation quickly highlights that although commonalities do exist, the differences between standards and OSS are considerable. In this paper we examine standards and OSS by comparing their objectives, the stakeholders involved, and their underlying development process characteristics; and conclude with some resulting insights.