Computer Science

Computer Science ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (10): 336-344.doi: 10.11896/jsjkx.260100120

• Computer Software • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Classification and Comparative Analysis of Governance Models in Open Source Foundations

HE Xiang, XU Hanchuan, WANG Tiantian, WANG Zhongjie   

  1. Faculty of Computing,Harbin Institute of Technology,Harbin 150001, China
  • Received:2026-01-20 Revised:2026-04-28 Published:2026-10-13
  • About author:HE Xiang,born in 1997,Ph.D,associate researcher,master’s supervisor,is a member of CCF(No.96121M).His main research interests include software engineering and Internet service computing.
    WANG Zhongjie,born in 1978,Ph.D,professor,Ph.D supervisor,is a senior member of CCF(No.06531D).His main research interests include indus-trial software,software engineering,and Internet service computing.
  • Supported by:
    Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(61832014).

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Abstract: Open source software(OSS) has become a critical form of digital public infrastructure,with open source foundations serving as its core governance institutions.The institutional design of these foundations,however,requires navigating inherent strategic trade-offs.To this end,this paper develops a “Governance Trilemma” model,positing that foundations cannot simulta-neously maximize strategic direction,community autonomy,and ecosystem neutrality.Through a comparative analysis of three archetypal governance models:the meritocratic community(Apache Software Foundation),the industry-driven platform integrator(Cloud Native Computing Foundation),and the national ecosystem catalyst(OpenAtom Foundation),this paper reveals how these models prioritize and balance the trilemma’s competing demands.The findings demonstrate that successful open source gover-nance is a dynamic process of institutional adaptation rather than a static structural choice.The proposed analytical framework and trilemma model offer a new theoretical lens for understanding and designing resilient,globally influential open source ecosystems,providing critical insights for China’s strategic initiatives in this domain.

Key words: Open source governance, Digital public infrastructure, Open source foundations, Governance trilemma, Strategic tra-de-offs

CLC Number: 

  • TP311
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