Evolution of Open Source Software: A Study on the Samba Project

Open Source Software (OSS) development model has attracted considerable attention in recent years, primarily because it offers a non-proprietary and socially beneficial model of software development backed by a dedicated community of developers and users who share and expand their knowledge and expertise. This research investigates the evolution of open source software using a case study of the Samba project. Through the application of both qualitative and quantitative techniques, Samba's software development and evolution over a seven-year period are tracked and assessed. This assessment and the findings of similar, previously reported studies lead us to propose a general framework for the evolvabiltity and the key drivers of open source software evolution. open-source communities for socially coordinated software development.