Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research

Siltala, J., Freeman, S. and Miettinen, R. (2007). Exploring the Tensions Between Volunteers and Firms
in Hybrid Projects. Working Papers 36/2007. Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research. University of Helsinki.

Software development has traditionally taken two separate forms of organization, open source and proprietary. In recent years, a new hybrid model has emerged as an attempt to combine the benefits of the open development model with the hierarchical control over the development of commercial software products. In this paper, we define the constitutive features of the open development model and examine their realization in two hybrid software projects with different origins. We support the reconstruction of the concept of a hybrid as a dynamic interface between two co-existing models instead of a new model of software production.