Open Sourcism Explained

Our Vision

To foster dialogue that moves beyond conflict toward shared understanding and shared progress, we intend to form a civic society based on the principles of open sourcism, where the rules and practices of every day of every member are autonomous and shared in public, are recorded on a public immutable ledger yet remain private, as is often the case with open sourcism based on modern-day blockchain technology.

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Open source software (OSS) communities function as alternative socioeconomic models through distinct organizational, economic, and cultural mechanisms that have evolved substantially over time. OSS projects operate through self-organizing, collaborative social networks without traditional project management structures, relying on non-monetary, intrinsic participant motivations and commons-based ownership via open source licensing. Development processes emphasize transparency, voluntary participation, and peer review rather than hierarchical control and market-driven priorities. However, evidence reveals a temporal transformation from radical alternative to hybrid integration: while early projects (1990s-early 2000s) embodied purely volunteer-driven, community-governed structures, contemporary OSS has become integral to the software industry with leading IT companies exerting considerable influence, employed developers often outnumbering volunteers, and corporate funding supplanting pure volunteerism. The relationship between OSS and traditional proprietary development is now complementary rather than competitive, with conventional companies using OSS environments strategically to protect standards while expanding proprietary activities. OSS thus functions as an alternative model primarily at the process level (open code, collaborative development) and through licensing structures that prevent direct proprietarization, while governance and economic structures increasingly resemble traditional corporate forms, particularly in large-scale, industry-critical projects.

We analyzed 10 sources from an initial pool of 50, using 6 screening criteria. Each paper was reviewed for 6 key aspects that mattered most to the research question.

Results

Characteristics of Included Studies

G. Madey et al., 2002