Adopting OSS Methods by Adopting OSS Tools

The open source movement has created and used a set of software engineering tools with features that fit the characteristics of open source development processes. To a large extent, the open source culture and methodology are conveyed to new developers via the toolset itself, and through the demonstrated usage of these tools on existing projects. The rapid and wide adoption of open source tools stands in stark contrast to the difficulties encountered in adopting traditional CASE tools. This paper explores the characteristics that make these tools adoptable and how adopting them may influence software development processes.