This document discusses the OSSMETER project, which aims to develop a platform to help decision makers in selecting, assessing, and monitoring open-source software projects. The platform will analyze data from source code repositories, issue trackers, and communication channels to calculate quality metrics for projects. It will provide an extensible, cloud-based interface for users to discover, compare, and monitor open-source and in-house software projects. The project involves several industrial and academic partners and intends to facilitate open-source development and adoption within EU communities.

1. Automated Analysis and
Measurement of Open-Source
Software @ OW2con'13 RISCOSS
Convention
Alessandra Bagnato
Softeam R&D
Issy-les-Moulineaux, 12th November 2013
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2. Selecting OSS
 Is a challenging task
 Time, cost of error, stress
 Approaches





Use over-simplified selection criteria
Try to avoid making a decision altogether
Choose arbitrary default options
Overestimate their expertise
Become highly risk averse

3. Selecting OSS
 Is a challenging task
 Time, cost of error, stress
 Approaches





Use over-simplified selection criteria
Try to avoid making a decision altogether
Choose arbitrary default options
Overestimate their expertise
Become highly risk averse

4. Selecting OSS
 Many OSS projects with
similar/overlapping functionality
 Adopters are looking for OSS that is …
 of high quality (fast, secure, extensible etc.)
 supported by a substantial team of developers
• questions answered
• bugs fixed
• new requirements implemented
 backed by a company
 used by other people
 going to be around for a while

5. Monitoring OSS
 The health of OSS needs to be
monitored after initial selection has
taken place
 The company behind an OSS project may
fold/switch focus
 OSS developers may change jobs (or
simply lose interest)
 A newer/better OSS may make the project
obsolete
 Adopters need to be warned early
enough to set up a transition plan

6. OSSMETER Vision
Quick replies to questions
Frequent source code updates
Bugs fixed quickly
Frequent releases
Large number of downloads
Many external references
Quality/Maturity
 Develop a platform
that will support
decision makers in the
process of
discovering,
comparing,
assessing and
monitoring the
health, quality,
impact and activity of
open-source software
?
Late/no replies to questions
Infrequent source code updates
Bugs not fixed
Infrequent releases
Small number of downloads
Few external references

7. Sources of Information
 OSS forge metadata
 Source code repositories
 Issue/bug tracking systems
 User communication
channels
 Newsgroups, forums

8. Expected Results
 Metamodels for
capturing metainformation relevant
to OSS projects (e.g.
types and details of
source code
repositories,
communication
channels and bug
tracking systems,
types of licences,
number of downloads
etc.)
Communication channel
(Newsgroup/forum/
mailing list)
Source Code
Repository
OSS
Project
Bug Tracking
System
OSS Forge
Metadata

9. Expected Results
 OSS analysis based
on advances in
language-agnostic
and languagespecific methods
for code analysis,
state-of-the-art
Natural Language
Processing (NLP)
and text mining
techniques
Communication channel
(Newsgroup/forum/
mailing list)
Source Code
Repository
OSS
Project
Bug Tracking
System
OSS Forge
Metadata

10. Source Code Analysis
 Current state of practice: LanguageAgnostic Analysis
 #LoC vs. comments
 File extensions
 OSSMETER contribution: LanguageAware Analysis
 Integrate current state-of-the-art in source
code analysis
 Tailored metrics for source code

11. Bug Tracking and Communication
Channel Analysis
 Current state of practice
 # of bugs
 # of messages
 OSSMETER contributions
 Thread analysis
• How many people ask/answer questions?
• How do users feel about the support they
receive?
• How does this evolve over time?
 Bug lifecycle analysis
• Are bugs fixed? How long does it take on
 …
average?

12. Expected Results
 Extensible cloudbased platform
enabling users to
discover and
compare OSS
projects, which can
also support quality
analysis and
monitoring of inhouse software
development
projects
Communication channel
(Newsgroup/forum/
mailing list)
Source Code
Repository
OSS
Project
Bug Tracking
System
OSS Forge
Metadata

13. OSSMETER Platform
 Platform
 Storage, analysis
 API
 Interoperability
 Web application
 Presentation
 Available both as a service and as a
platform that can be deployed in-house
to monitor internal projects for local
deployment

14. Beneficiaries

Developers and Project Managers who are
responsible for deciding on the adoption of OSS, will be
able to make decisions on hard facts and uniform quality
indicators

Developers of OSS will be able to monitor the quality
of the OSS projects they contribute to and promote the
projects using independently calculated and trustworthy
quality indicators, and identify related projects for
establishing synergies

Funding Bodies supporting projects which produce OSS
will be able to monitor the quality and assess the impact
of the produced software even after the end of the
projects

15. Current state of platform
Project Analysis and Management
Metrics
Connectors
OSSMETER Platform
Object Mapper
Data Persistence

16. Front-end

17. OSSMETER Browse

18. OSSMETER Monitor & Compare

19. Partners (1/2)
 Industrial Partners





The Open Group (UK)
Tecnalia (ES)
Softeam (FR)
Uninova (PT)
Unparallel Innovation (PT)

20. Partners (2/2)
 Academic Partners
 CWI (NL)
• Expertise in source code analysis
 University of Manchester (UK)
• Expertise in text mining
 University of York (UK) & University of
L’Aquila (IT)
• Expertise in Model Driven Engineering

21. Inter-Project Collaboration
 Future services to facilitate FLOSS development
and adoption by EU research and business
communities http://ec.europa.eu/digitalagenda/events/cf/ict2013/itemdisplay.cfm?id=10341
 Participants from
 MARKOS project - n 317743 "Global level view of open
source software on the web"
 RISCOSS project - n.318249 "Risk management of OSS
development in the cloud"
 OSSMETER project - n. 318736 "Measurement and
analysis of open source software: a big data challenge"
 PROSE project - n. 318218 "OSS development support
tools: how a software forge can sustain H2020
innovation"

22. Contacts
Alessandra Bagnato
SOFTEAM | ModelioSoft
Alessandra.bagnato@softeam.fr
OSSMETER Web Site:
http://www.ossmeter.eu @ossmeter
SOFTEAM R&D Web Site:
http://rd.softeam.com
Modelio UML Open Source Modeling Tool Web
Site :
http://www.modelio.org
www.modeliosoft.com
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