Abstract

In a previous paper, we have found empirical evidence supporting a positive relationship between network

centrality  and success. However, we  have  also found that more  successful projects have  a lower technical

quality. A first, straightforward argument explaining previous findings is that more central contributors are

also highly skilled developers who are well known for their ability to manage the complexity of code with a

lower attention to the software structure. The consolidated metrics of software quality used by the authors in

their previous research represent measures of code structure. This paper provides empirical evidence

supporting the idea that the  negative impact of success on quality is caused by the  careless behaviour of

skilled developers, who are also hubs within the social network. Research hypotheses are tested on a sample

of 56 OS applications from the  SourceForge.net repository, with a total of 378 developers. The  sample

includes some of the most successful and large OS projects, as well as a cross-section of less famous active

projects evenly distributed among SourceForge.net’s project categories.

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