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Curious Exceptions?: Open Source Software and “Open” Technology

Curious Exceptions?: Open Source Software and “Open” Technology

Alessandro Nuvolari, Francesco Rullani
Copyright: © 2012 |Volume: 4 |Issue: 4 |Pages: 12
ISSN: 1942-3926|EISSN: 1942-3934|EISBN13: 9781466613805|DOI: 10.4018/ijossp.2012100104
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MLA

Nuvolari, Alessandro, and Francesco Rullani. "Curious Exceptions?: Open Source Software and “Open” Technology." IJOSSP vol.4, no.4 2012: pp.44-55. http://doi.org/10.4018/ijossp.2012100104

APA

Nuvolari, A. & Rullani, F. (2012). Curious Exceptions?: Open Source Software and “Open” Technology. International Journal of Open Source Software and Processes (IJOSSP), 4(4), 44-55. http://doi.org/10.4018/ijossp.2012100104

Chicago

Nuvolari, Alessandro, and Francesco Rullani. "Curious Exceptions?: Open Source Software and “Open” Technology," International Journal of Open Source Software and Processes (IJOSSP) 4, no.4: 44-55. http://doi.org/10.4018/ijossp.2012100104

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Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the differences and commonalities between open source software and other cases of open technology. The concept of open technology is used here to indicate various models of innovation based on the participation of a wide range of different actors who freely share the innovations they have produced. The article begins with a review of the problems connected to the production of public goods and explains why open source software seems to be a “curious exception” for traditional economic reasoning. Then it describes the successful operation of similar models of innovation (open technology) in other technological fields. The third section investigates the literature in relation to three fundamental issues in the current open source research agenda, namely, developers’ motivations, performance, and sustainability of the model. Finally, the fourth section provides a final comparison between open source software and the other cases of open technology.

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