Release early, release often and release on time. An empirical case study of release management

Jose Teixeira*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceedingConference contributionScientificpeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The dictum of “Release early, release often.” by Eric Raymond as the Linux modus operandi highlights the importance of release management in open source software development. Nevertheless, there are very few empirical studies addressing release management in open source software development. It is already known that most open source software communities adopt either feature-based or time-based release strategies. Each of these has its advantages and disadvantages that are context-specific. Recent research reported that many prominent open source software projects have moved from feature-based to time-based releases. In this longitudinal case study, we narrate how OpenStack shifted towards a liberal six-month release cycle. If prior research discussed why projects should adopt time-based releases and how they can adopt such a strategy, we discuss how OpenStack adapted its software development processes, its organizational design and its tools toward a hybrid release management strategy — a strive for balancing the benefits and drawbacks of feature-based and time-based release strategies.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationOpen Source Systems
Subtitle of host publicationTowards Robust Practices - 13th IFIP WG 2.13 International Conference, OSS 2017, Proceedings
EditorsFederico Balaguer, Alejandra Garrido, Gregorio Robles, Stefano Zacchiroli, Roberto Di Cosmo, Fabio Kon
PublisherSpringer New York LLC
Pages167-181
Number of pages15
ISBN (Print)9783319577340
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017
Externally publishedYes
MoE publication typeA4 Article in a conference publication
Event13th IFIP WG 2.13 International Conference on Open Source Systems, OSS 2017 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Duration: 22 May 201723 May 2017

Publication series

NameIFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
Volume496
ISSN (Print)1868-4238

Conference

Conference13th IFIP WG 2.13 International Conference on Open Source Systems, OSS 2017
Country/TerritoryArgentina
CityBuenos Aires
Period22/05/1723/05/17

Keywords

  • FLOSS
  • Open-Source
  • Open-Stack
  • OSS
  • Release management

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