Exploring the Impact of Open-Source Software Documentation on Contributors Motivation and Participation

Schweitzer, Maciej Karol ; Szatmáry, Péter

4. term

Computer Science (IT), Master

2023

2023-06-08

62 pages

Background. We are all using free and open-source software even if we may not always be actively aware of it. They are increasingly used in consumer software and hardware components as well, therefore a healthy ecosystem of contributors is important for the continued prosperity of FOSS projects. Previous work informed us about barriers that contributors to open-source project may face. One of the hurdles newcomers encounter are various problems with the project’s documentation. However, what none of them explores is what are the consequences of these issues detected. Aim. Here we show through a qualitative case study done on the FlyByWire1 community, how contributors experience both inadequate and abundant quality as well as quantity of documentation. Findings. We find how community members coped with deficient documentation through asking their fellow community members for help and making friends with them. Our findings also unveiled, that following the FlyByWire team turning around the documentation’s state however, certain members were still asking questions otherwise already answered in the documentation. At the same time, these types of questions were started being answered using links to parts of the documentation in lieu of standard responses. Conclusion. Ultimately, whether a newcomer will persevere or drop out depends on many factors, however the friendliness of the community, and the state of the project’s documentation are two factors that might play a pivotal role in that matter.

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