Open-source software: Encyclopedia II - Open-source software - Open source software development tools

Open-source software - Open source software development tools

There are several types of tools used to aid the activities performed in Open Source Software projects. These tools include the following;

Open-source software - Source code revision control

In OSS development the participants, who are mostly volunteers, are distributed amongst different geographic regions so there is need for tools to aid participants to collaborate in the development of source code.

Concurrent Versions System (CVS) is a major example of a source code collaboration tool being used in OSS projects. CVS helps manage the files and codes of a project when several people are working on the project at the same time. CVS can allow several people to work on the same file at the same time. This is done by moving the file into the users’ directories and then merging the files when the users are done. CVS also enables one to easily go back to a previous version of a file and retrieve it.

The Subversion revision control system (svn) is an intended CVS replacement which is quickly gaining ground in OSS project version control.

Open-source software - Testing tools

Since OSS projects undergo frequent integration, tools that help automate testing during system integration are used. One such tool is Tinderbox.

Tinderbox enables participants in an OSS project to detect errors during system integration. Tinderbox runs a continuous build process and informs users about the parts of codes that have issues and on which platform. It also identifies the author of the offending code. The author is then held responsible for ensuring that error is resolved..

Open-source software - Bug/Error/Defect tracking tools

Bug tracking is a very important aspect of OSS projects. Bug tracking includes the following tasks. It involves keeping a record of all reported bugs, whether the bug has been fixed or not, which version of the software does the bug belong to, and whether the bug submitter has agreed that the bug has been fixed (squashed). Popular bug tracking systems include Bugzilla and GNATS.

GNU GNATS is a set of tools for tracking bugs reported by users to a central site. It allows problem report management and communication with users via various means. GNATS stores all the information about problem reports in its databases and provides tools for querying, editing, and maintenance of the databases.

Bugzilla is a "Defect Tracking System" or "Bug-Tracking System". It allows individual or groups of developers to keep track and manage outstanding bugs in their product effectively.

Open-source software - Communication

Since the participants in an OSS development project are dispersed, there is a need for tools to aid in organizing communication between project participants. This is accomplished with the aid of websites (Freshmeat, GNU Savannah, SourceForge), mailing lists (GNU Mailman) and instant messengers.

The above mentioned Open Source Software development tools are an essential and integral part of the Open Source Software development model.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Open source software development tools", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki