The Free Software Engineering Survey

I would like to find out the reasons that explain why your particular project was started. I want to correlate the information here with the type of process that is used in the project, to find out if they have some sort of influence on the way it works today.

If you don't understand one of the questions, please add a comment explaining which.

You should mark here all the phrases that apply.

Every software has a number of users that make up its user base. Think about who actually uses the software your project produces, and classify them according to the items listed.

I would like to know here how long it has been since the first version of the software your project produces was publically released. This means when it was first placed on a download site and publicized somehow (using a mailing list, a site like Freshmeat.net, etc.)

Some projects have their existence tied to one or more specifications, which determines to a large extent what functionality it has to implement. The specification(s) should be produced by a third party, such as a standards organization, though members of your project team may participate in it.

An example is a web server, tied to HTTP RFCs, or a C compiler, which has to implement at least a common subset of the C language.

If your project is fundamentally based on one or more standards, say yes here. If a standard touches only peripheral or non-core aspects of the project (for instance, the HTML specification for a Web project), say no.

Answer here how many people you consider to be an actual part of the project's team. Many times it can be hard to determine if a person is part of the team or not (since membership of the team is often informally determined); if you are unsure, consider the frequent and active contributors as making up the team. Consider a contributor a person who has sent in material that is usable in the project: code, patches, documentation, screen mockups and translations are good examples.

Provide an estimate here; don't worry about being too exact.

It's usually said that a project will have some sort of leadership, which consists generally of an authority and responsibility hierarchy. Select from the list the description you think applies best to your project, or add your own description.

I am trying here to define certain aspects of Open Source/Free Software teams to differentiate them from conventional software teams.

Mark here all that apply.

Every software has a set of functionality it implements: in common terms, what it should do and how to do it. In Software Engineering terms, this is called Requirements. To reach an agreement on what functionality is necessary, it is common to have discusions (meetings, conversations), sometimes along with some sort of written document(s), to define this.

This question focuses on the definition of the actual user-visible or externally-visible functionality of your software, not on the internal design of it.

Please mark all phrases that apply here.

Usability describes the overall fitness of a certain kind of software to its target user base. This question tries to understand how important UI design is considered to be in the project, and who takes care of it. If your application doesn't really have a user interface, select the appropriate option. Remember, this question is about end-user interface, not API.

Mark all phrases that apply to your project.

Documentation consists of written or graphical descriptions, in the case of software being geared to one of two groups: software end-users, and software developers. This question covers the documentation activities the project engages in: how much is done, who it is targeted at, how up to date it is, and who actually takes care of writing and maintaining the documents.

Please mark all that apply

Some software development activities are performed to specifically enhance and guarantee the quality of the software produces. There are a number of common approaches to this: testing, review, public tests and others.

Mark all the items that apply to your project.

List here the tools that you actually (and actively) use to support the development of the project's software. If you just installed the tool, or it is available to your project's environment, but it isn't actively used, don't select it! If you would like to specify a tool not listed, please add to the Other: item.

Please mark all that apply.