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 * [wiki:/implementation Implementation]: how is a tool implemented? This is
 about code, language, style of development, modularity, accessibility to
 users interested in touching the code, etc.
 * [wiki:/implementation Implementation] (developer aspects): how is a tool
 implemented? This is about code, language, style of development, modularity,
 accessibility to users interested in touching the code, etc.
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 * [wiki:/community Community]: what are the traits of the developer and user
 communities around the tool? Is it vibrant? Open to newcomers? Helpful?
 Focused? '''This is likely not a category of its own but rather to be split
 between usability and implementation: user vs. developer communities.'''

Factors affecting diffusions in OSS

In this list, I attempt to bring together all factors which could have any influence on success or failure of a tool, however small; my research is about finding out which ones make more of a difference and which ones are less relevant.

If you feel like adding your thoughts to a factor, please feel free. It would help if you'd prefix your comments with your name so that I know how to contact you if I have questions and can give appropriate credit.

Also see ["madduck/adoptions"] for a list of tools which have or have not been adopted by developers of the Debian project. Feel free to extend/edit this list as well.

I use the following categories for factors (please extend as you see fit):

  • [wiki:/usability Usability]: how usable is the tool? Is it well-documented? Can it be used in more than one way? Does it have multiple interfaces?
  • [wiki:/maintenance Maintenance status]: how well is the tool maintained? Does it distinguish between stable and unstable releases? Are unstable releases usable?
  • [wiki:/implementation Implementation] (developer aspects): how is a tool implemented? This is about code, language, style of development, modularity, accessibility to users interested in touching the code, etc.
  • [wiki:/direction Direction]: does the project follow a defined direction? Is there a manifesto? What happens with new ideas which may deviate a bit from a given direction?