Today’s software companies face the challenges of highly distributed development projects and constant changing requirements. To be competitive, the software time to market has to be reduced as much as possible while keeping the expected quality. Development methodologies try to address this challenges by introducing new practices, techniques and methods for communication, requirements management, quality assurance, etc. This thesis proposes the adoption of relevant Free/Libre/Open Source Software practices to improve industrial developments. Many FLOSS projects have proven very successful, producing high quality products with steady frequent releases. The selection of the FLOSS best practices that would benefit industrial developments, and its adaptation for a corporate environment is the aim of this study. To achieve this goal, a framework to compare FLOSS and industrial development methodologies has been created and executed. Three successful FLOSS projects where selected as study targets, as well as two Ericsson’s projects. The framework served to identify FLOSS methodology strengths and compare them with the Ericsson projects. Analysing the significant differences resulting from this comparison, FLOSS best practices were tailored to fit industrial development environments. The final results of the thesis are six adoption opportunities that aim to improve software quality and overall development productivity while increasing practitioners’ motivation and commitment.

El presente trabajo gira alrededor del mundo de los <i>Serious Games</i> (Juegos Serios) abarcando aspectos tales como campos de aplicación, herramientas disponibles para el desarrollo y un paneo acerca de las plataformas utilizadas para el desarrollo y para su utilización. En el capítulo 1 se explicará la organización del presente trabajo, en el capítulo 2 se analizarán algunos de los campos de aplicación donde se ve un importante desarrollo de los juegos serios, en el capítulo 3 se describirán algunas herramientas privativas y otras FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software), en el capítulo 4 se hablará acerca de la ludificación/gamificación y en el capítulo 5 se describirán las conclusiones y posibles trabajos futuros.

Recent advances in information technologies and subsequent explosive growth of computer software use in practically all aspects of everyday life provide tremendous opportunities and benefits for improving people's lives. However, significant proportion of software projects represents cancelled, abandoned or otherwise failed projects. This situation exists not only in commercial software products or government information systems, but also in an increasingly popular and important domain of free/libre and open source software (FLOSS). The problem of failures in software development projects requires identification and understanding of the factors of success and their interrelationships. Practice and previous research suggest that governance of software development projects plays crucial role in their success. Increasing adoption and sponsorship of FLOSS by commercial firms and government organizations present additional challenges; such sponsorship may also interact with governance in FLOSS projects and play a role in determining their success. This dissertation focused on analyzing the role and significance of governance and organizational sponsorship in the success of FLOSS development. This study used both conceptual analysis and empirical methods. The conceptual analysis phase, a preliminary study based on the review of existing literature, produced a partial model of success in FLOSS development. This model was verified in an empirical phase, which statistically analyzed data from multiple FLOSS repositories and other public sources. The statistical analysis was based on structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Results of this study did not confirm hypothesized effects of the main two factors (governance and organizational sponsorship) on FLOSS success, but confirmed a positive effect of project maturity on the success. The likely reason of the lack of support for the main factors is unavailability of sufficient and correct data for proper operationalization. This and other uncovered issues are planned to be addressed in the future research on the topic, for which this dissertation formed a solid conceptual and data analysis framework.

La mondialisation néo-libérale s’accompagne d’un renforcement de divers droits de propriété intellectuelle, selon des rythmes et des modalités variées. Ces évolutions, parfois conçues comme un nouveau mouvement d’enclosure, sont contestées dès les années 1980. L’ensemble de ces contestations, que l’on peut appeler « le Libre », se fonde sur l’idée que les biens informationnels doivent rester ou redevenir des biens communs. Le Libre, traversé de nombreuses lignes de tension voire de fracture, porte dans son nom même la trace de son origine historique : le mouvement des logiciels libres. C’est dire si cette mouvance est consubstantielle du développement des technologies de l’information et de la communication. Elle ne saurait cependant être cantonnée au domaine du numérique, pour autant qu’une telle catégorie se révèle opératoire. En effet, si ses objectifs comme son fonctionnement montrent un usage avancé et réflexif de dispositifs numériques, ils montrent aussi un engagement marqué dans des pratiques et des représentations spatiales diversifiées qui vont parfois jusqu’à l’ancrage local fort. La problématique de cette thèse se situe donc au nœud qui tient ensemble le double paradoxe d’une mouvance qui gagne en reconnaissance sociale et en légitimité politique sans qu’il existe de consensus quant à l’identité de ses acteurs, ses objectifs ou ses limites d’une part ; d’ancrage fort d’individus dont les pratiques techniques laisseraient supposer la mise en œuvre d’espaces de représentation bien plus mobiles et mondialisés d’autre part. Cette problématique interroge donc le moment technique de l’individuation des espaces géographiques. En employant une méthode comparatiste sur nos terrains québécois et aquitains, nous tenterons de faire émerger quelques caractéristiques des lieux du monde contemporain. C’est pourquoi le concept géographique de lieu sera discuté et enrichi tout au long de cette thèse. / Neo-liberal globalization brings a reinforcement of several intellectual property rights, under a variety of ways and rhythms. These developments, sometimes understood as a new enclosure movement, are challenged since the eighties. All these challenges, that we chose to call “the Libre”, is based on the idea that informational goods must belong to the commons. The “Libre”, crossed by lots of tension or even dividing lines, is marked in its very name by its historical beginnings : the Free Software movement. In other words, the “Libre” movement is part and parcel of the development of information and communication technologies. However, it can’t be restricted to the digital world, provided that such a category is operational. Indeed, if its objectives as its functioning show an advanced and reflexive use of digital apparatus, they also show a clear commitment in diverse spatial practices and representations that can reveal strong local anchorages. Therefore, problematics of this research lies at the knot that ties together the double paradox of a movement that is gaining social recognition and political legitimacy without any consensus about who are its actors, its objectives or its limits on one hand; of locally anchored individuals whose technical practices that would suggest more mobile and global spaces of representation on another hand. Thus, these problematics questions the technical moment of individuation of geographical spaces. Using a comparatist method on our Quebec and Aquitaine fieldwork, we will attempt to detect some characteristics of places of the contemporary world. This is why the geographical concept of place will be extensively discussed and enriched all along this thesis.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are having a rapid and increasing impact on all K-12 schools as school districts attempt, in a myriad of ways, to keep pace with the technological changes taking place in society. Unfortunately, this impact is increasingly a financial one as financial challenges continue to figure among the most extensive barriers to ICT use (Plante & Beattie, 2004). This research explores ICT options that are cost effective to our educational institutions and our communities while maintaining high functioning and sustainable technology for students and educators. Low-cost alternative technologies such as Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) and cloud computing lessen the socio-economic divide between students, encourage the sharing of technological advancements and collaboration and allow teachers to freely and legally give their students access to software necessary for success. In addition to the potential benefits of this technology’s use in an educational setting, this research also addresses the pragmatic aspects of introducing these tools district-wide. Complexity theory is utilized to lend an understanding of how to look at technological changes within the context of society as a whole, within enabling constraints that create the conditions for the emergence of new patterns of teacher, student, task and content interactions. This complexity frame informs themes in the study such as: (1) the importance of forward-thinking technology from recursive feedback loops on decision-making and planning in order to “keep up” with technological changes outside of school, (2) the critical impact educational leaders have on the change environment when both introducing these technologies into a school district and providing enabling conditions so that new ways of teaching and learning with technology can emerge and (3) the effect changing technological systems and support infrastructures have on enabling new teaching and learning processes. / Graduate / 0710 / 0524 / 0533 / katyconnelly@gmail.com

Les motivacions entorn al programari lliure han estat sempre un tema de gran interès, sent la pregunta més obvia, "perquè les persones treballen de forma gratuïta?". Les motivacions dels desenvolupadors han estat establertes (per exemple, von Hippel (2001), Lerner and Tirole (2002)). De la mateixa manera que ho han estat per a les empreses grans i petites que adopten programari lliure basat en models de negoci (per exemple, Lakhani and von Hippel, 2003; Fitzgerald, 2006; Krishnamurthy, 2004). No obstant això, un nombre cada vegada més elevat de les PIMES amb estratègies que no estan directament relacionades amb aquest model de negoci estan contribuint a les comunitats de programari lliure. En aquest estudi s'investiga les motivacions d'aquestes empreses des d'un punt de vista de comportament mitjançant un model d'investigació basat en TPB (Theory of Planned Behavior). Hem demostrat que factors com la "obertura" d'una PIME, la importància percebuda del programari lliure, els desenvolupadors (empleats) d'una PIME, juntament amb l'ambient extern, podrien influir en la decisió d'una PIME a participar en comunitats de programari lliure. A més, hem demostrat que es poden identificar algunes diferències entre empreses d'alta base tecnològica i empreses amb poca base tecnològica. Aquestes conclusions poden ajudar governs nacionals o regionals per millorar el disseny de polítiques per tal d'incentivar l'ús i la participació de les empreses en les comunitats de programari lliure. Especialment ara, degut a la forta crisi econòmica que pateix Europa, el programari lliure pot ser una solució adequada per a fomentar la innovació. / Motivations in FLOSS have always been a subject of great interest, by starting with the most obvious question, “why people work for free?”. The motivations of developers have been well established (eg von Hippel (2001), Lerner and Tirole 2002). The same exists also for big and small companies adopting FLOSS based Business Models (eg Lakhani and von Hippel, 2003; Fitzgerald 2006; Krishnamurthy, 2004). However an increasing number of SMEs with strategies not directly related to the Business Model are contributing to FLOSS communities. In this study we try to investigate these motivations under a behavioral perspective by using a research model based on TPB (Theory of Planned Behavior). We demonstrated that factors like the “openness” of a SME, the perceived importance of FLOSS, the developers (employees) of a SME along with the external environment of a SME, could influence the decision of a SME to participate in FLOSS communities. Also, we have demonstrated that some differences can be identified between high tech firms and non high tech firms. These findings can help national or regional governments to design better policies in order to better promote the use and the participation of firms to FLOSS communities. Especially now, in times of heavy economical crisis in Europe, FLOSS can be an adequate solution to foster innovation.