Apache and Eclipse: Comparing Open Source Project Incubators

Open source development is often regarded as a chaotic environment where new initiatives' success or failure just happens by chance. However, successful open source communities are applying incubation processes for managing the risks associated with creating new projects. This article analyzes the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the incubation process, focusing on the Apache and Eclipse communities. After performing a quantitative and qualitative comparative analysis of these communities, the authors identified aspects that affect the incubation period's duration and community size. The similarities led them to propose a two-stage model for the incubation process, which might facilitate its applicability to other open source or industrial organizations.