A0485
Title: A strategic model of software dependency networks
Authors: Angelo Mele - Johns Hopkins University (United States) [presenting]
Co-Pierre Georg - EDHEC Business School (France)
Abstract: Modern software development involves collaborative efforts and re-using existing software packages and libraries to reduce the cost of developing new software. However, package dependencies expose developers to the risk of contagion from bugs or other vulnerabilities. The aim is to study the formation of dependency networks among software packages and libraries, guided by a structural model of network formation with observable and unobservable heterogeneity. A package maintainer's costs, benefits and link externalities are estimated using a scalable algorithm and data from 1,131,342 dependencies of 17,081 packages of the Rust programming language. It is found evidence of a positive externality created by coders on other coders through the creation of dependencies. It is also found that homophily and competition motives coexist in creating the network.
