Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics
Ethical Issues In Open Source Software, Frances Grodzinsky, Keith W. Miller, Marty J. Wolf
Ethical Issues In Open Source Software, Frances Grodzinsky, Keith W. Miller, Marty J. Wolf
School of Computer Science & Engineering Faculty Publications
In this essay we argue that the current social and ethical structure in the Open Source Software (OSS) Community stem from its roots in academia. The individual developers experience a level of autonomy similar to that of a faculty member. Furthermore, we assert that the Open Source Software Community's social structure demands benevolent leadership. We argue that it is difficult to pass off low quality open source software as high quality software and that the Open Source development model offers strong accountability. Finally, we argue that Open Source Software introduces ethical challenges for universities and the software development community.