My INSURER PTE LTD - Insurtech Innovation Award 2024
Software Sustainability: Looking Past the Myths
1. Software Sustainability: Neil Chue Hong Director, OMII-UK e-Science Institute, Edinburgh, 29 October 2009 Thanks to: Rob Baxter for the original idea and discussion; Malcolm Atkinson, Jim Austin, David De Roure, Carole Goble, and Jen Schopf for their input and slides I’ve borrowed; and especially Simon Hettrick for the imagery and extra research
11. Comparing Apples and Books! Storage lifespan: ~12 months Storage lifespan: ~ 50 years Which one is closer to the lifespan of software? www.omii.ac.uk
15. Can we throw things over the wall? “Sustainability is not an issue for researchers, we want others to take the software over subject to IP issues” “Sustainability is a big issue, we are producing complex tools we want to continue to use but it’s not clear how they’ll be sustained” - Quotes taken from ENGAGE interviews www.omii.ac.uk
28. Requirements for e-Research Embedding e-Infrastructure in the research process There is no single common e-Infrastructure Ease of use is the initial barrier Dealing with complexity is complex Trust is important Open development is necessary Give credit for digital creation Attitudes must be changed ~70 attendees (developers, PIs, managers, researchers and funders) http://www.nesc.ac.uk/technical_papers/UKeS-2009-01.pdf www.omii.ac.uk
36. Free as in Puppy... www.omii.ac.uk Long term costs Needs love and attention May lose charm after growing up Occasional clean-ups required Many left abandoned by their owners
37. Business Modelsare confusing Development Model ([vendor|community|mixed]/[open source|hybrid]) Licensing Strategy (Dual | Open-Core | Open and Closed | Single | Assembled | Closed) Revenue Trigger Commercial License, Subscriptions, Service/Support, Embedded Hardware, Embedded Software, Software as a Service (SaaS), Advertising, Custom Development, Other Products and Services http://blogs.the451group.com/opensource/2009/03/12/a-classification-of-open-source-business-strategies/ www.omii.ac.uk
39. Sustainability Models for Research Software Grant Mosaic Flagship (e.g. CCPs: DL_POLY) Institutional (e.g. Subject repositories, CNX) Fully Costed (e.g. HECTOR CSE Support) Mixed Enterprise / Consultancy (e.g. SugarCRM) Foundation (e.g. Sakai, R) T-shirt UK e-Science Core Programme: Business Models for Sustainability (2007) http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/einfrastructure/day2_breakoutbusinessmodels.pdf www.omii.ac.uk
40. Collecting software in repositories sustains it Research software should be given to software experts to sustain it I can program – I can look after it I’ve maintained software in this domain and it’s just the same in any other Outsourcing my software will provide me with free effort www.omii.ac.uk
65. The Trade-Offs of a Larger Community “Connected, distributed systems, from power grids to business firms to even entire economies, are both more fragile and more robust than populations of isolated entities.” Duncan J. Watts Professor of Sociology, Columbia University Sometimes the thing that kills software is that the community becomes too fragile www.omii.ac.uk
66. Beat the bus and save your software http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4216011961522818645# www.omii.ac.uk
67. Mnemosyne: Remember your Users Zeus: Understand the Value Jason: Pick the right Team Sisyphus: Take difficult tasks and make them Easy Sibilla de Fortia: Nominate your Successor www.omii.ac.uk
69. Software Sustainability: Thanks to: Rob Baxter for the original idea and discussion; Malcolm Atkinson, Jim Austin, David De Roure, Carole Goble, and Jen Schopf for their input and slides I’ve borrowed; and especially Simon Hettrick for the imagery and extra research
71. Software development comes in stages Idea Prototype Research Idea Prototype Idea Idea Prototype Research Supported Product Idea Prototype Research Supported An idea to solve a problem Understand the functionality Scaling to work for others Allow othersto participate www.omii.ac.uk