Open Source Software Development

Deanna Schneider

Emerging Technologies Specialist

Open source software is software in which the originating author makes available the source code (the human-readable code) and invites other developers to review, critique and improve upon the existing code with the caveat that all improvements are contributed back to the community. Approached with intention, it is scholarly work.

David Friedman ("Future Imperfect") agrees:

"...the open source movement is simply a new variation on the system under which most of modern science was created. Programmers create software; scholars create ideas. Ideas, like open source programs, can be used by anyone. The source code, the evidence and arguments on which the ideas are based, is public information."

I have taken this scholarly approach to provide value to Cooperative Extension and enrich the broader open source software development community by developing extensions for the WordPress platform.

Other members of the Cooperative Extension Technology Services WordPress Development Team include:

Kevin Graeme and Jason Lemahieu

Creative, intellectual work

In 2009, Cooperative Extension Technology Services settled on WordPress (an open source blog publishing and content management application) as our platform of choice to develop our web presence for audience-focused educational content.

To develop http://fyi.uwex.edu/, Technology Services:

• Assessed Cooperative Extension's business needs.
• Reviewed the existing body of knowledge for WordPress to identify where we could build upon existing knowledge and where we would be required to create new knowledge.
• Used the results of our reviews to develop multiple additions to the open source software that fulfilled our needs and needs of other WordPress community members.

Peer reviewed

To facilitate peer review, developers publish their contributions to a community of peers with a comparable understanding of the subject matter and invite public critique. WordPress has an international development community that provided review through four channels:

• WordPress Support Forums
• WordPress MU Support Forums
• My blog
• Twitter

Modifications of code were made based on the results of peer review and an iterative publishing process occurred, with some components undergoing many version updates before final release and incorporation into the existing body of knowledge.

Additions to intellectual history

Adding contributions to the intellectual history is an explicit part of open source software development. There is an expectation that contributions will be documented and shared in a publicly accessible way. My contributions to WordPress continue to be accessible via the WordPress software repository. I have further communicated with my peers to promote my contributions via my blog and Twitter feed.

Valued by target audience

Value is determined in the open source software world by the number of individuals who adopt a particular contribution for their own use or as a basis for further adaptatation. WordPress.org maintains statistical data on the number of downloads of published code and the average ratings of plugins provided through user feedback. The following is a sample of the statistics for some of my published code:
Google Maps Embed (Downloads: 10,709; Average Rating: 5/5)
New Blog Defaults (Downloads: 10,218; Average Rating: 4/5)
Blog Topics for WPMU (Downloads: 4,313; Average Rating: 5/5)

While it is difficult to ascertain how many WordPress installations have implemented published code or adapted contributions, I have received anecdotal feedback that my plugins are implemented in many sites ranging from a Caribbean travel site to a Department of Defense intranet; listed in "tools we use" lists; and cited in a number of "Top N" lists (such as Top 10 lists).