2013 Volume 12 Issue 3 Pages 151-166
“Free" and “open source" are not requirements for successful software development. The argument that “early and frequent upgrades" are one indicator of successful software development does not imply the necessity of users updating the source code but the importance that they function as testers and debuggers. In the development of Japan's non-open source, non-free shareware “Hidemaru Mail," the users perform the functions of testers and debuggers. It is evident from the case of Hidemaru Mail that early and frequent upgrades are neither result nor performance indicators, but rather the way to intrinsically motivate users so that they can function as testers and debuggers. In actuality, the developer of Hidemaru Mail motivates users to submit requests and reports more often by meticulously responding to almost all users' requests and reports and upgrading early and frequently. Existing studies are overly particular about whether the source code should be open, and lack the perspective of organizational theory about how developers should motivate users to function as testers and debuggers. While there is the definite possibility of motivating users through open source, this does not indicate that open source is a necessary condition. The necessary condition is to motivate as many users as possible to cooperate in the development. If this is accomplished, the development of software will succeed, regardless of it being free or open.
