open-source software · Julian Hinz

OSSIO

Aaron Lohmann — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Open Source Software Input Output Tables (OSSIO) provide global input-output tables of open-source software flows between countries. The tables cover five programming languages and 15 countries. They are constructed by mapping the geographic locations of software developers and the dependency linkages between software projects, aggregating these into flows between countries.

The dataset was created as part of the EU Horizon Europe project RETHINK-GSC, which studies knowledge flows in global supply chains.

Access

Dataset (RADAR): doi.org/10.22000/SaNahyIFpqpJVFbb
Kiel Institute page: kielinstitut.de

Data is released under CC BY 4.0.

mies.sty

Julian Hinz — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

mies.sty example.

mies.sty is a clean LaTeX article style focused on clarity, spacing, and classic design — inspired by Mies van der Rohe’s less is more.

It comes in two variants:

mies.sty: full-featured for math-heavy papers with tables and figures
minimies.sty: stripped-down for short drafts and clean submissions

Start your article like this:


\documentclass[11pt,a4paper]{article}
\usepackage{mies} % or \usepackage{minimies}

Features include improved spacing, clean typography, longtable and TikZ support, and a custom macro set for academic writing.

A complete example is included in example.tex, featuring The Economics of Time Travel by Doc Brown et al.

Get it from GitHub or try it on Overleaf.

luhmann.sty

Julian Hinz — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

luhmann.sty example title slide.

luhmann.sty is a sleek LaTeX Beamer style for academic and professional presentations.
It builds on latex-presentation by Pierre-Olivier Michaillat.

Include luhmann.sty in a directory and use it in a presentation with:


\documentclass[aspectratio=169]{beamer}
\usepackage{luhmann}

For a full example, see the fictional Q-Branch briefing included in example.tex.

More on GitHub or open directly in Overleaf.

Vibe Coding Kills Open Source

Miklós Koren — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Tailwind usage grows while engagement falls.

Generative AI is changing how software is produced and used. In vibe coding, an AI agent builds software by selecting and assembling open-source software (OSS), often without users directly reading documentation, reporting bugs, or otherwise engaging with maintainers. We study the equilibrium effects of vibe coding on the OSS ecosystem. We develop a model with endogenous entry and heterogeneous project quality in which OSS is a scalable input into producing more software. Users choose whether to use OSS directly or through vibe coding. Vibe coding raises productivity by lowering the cost of using and building on existing code, but it also weakens the user engagement through which many maintainers earn returns. When OSS is monetized only through direct user engagement, greater adoption of vibe coding lowers entry and sharing, reduces the availability and quality of OSS, and reduces welfare despite higher productivity. Sustaining OSS at its current scale under widespread vibe coding requires major changes in how maintainers are paid.

When dispersed teams are more successful: Theory and evidence from software

Gábor Békés — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Visual representation of the model.

Who collaborates with whom when physical co-location is no longer a constraint? How does the geographic composition of teams influence project success? We develop a model of global team formation and collaboration in which individuals have heterogeneous and partially observable skills, collaboration incurs geographic frictions, and project success depends on the best idea developed in the team. The model yields five testable predictions: (I) collaboration is more likely among geographically proximate individuals; (II) only highly skilled individuals form long-distance collaborations due to selection effects; (III) geographically diverse teams produce higher-quality outcomes; (IV) the positive impact of diversity on success is stronger for more complex projects; and (V) there is a non-linear relationship between team size and project quality. We test these predictions using a highly granular dataset on open-source software development, where project success is measured through downstream usage. The open-source setting offers a unique empirical advantage: its transparency and absence of physical constraints allow us to isolate the role of team composition and collaboration frictions. Our findings confirm the model’s predictions and suggest that the benefits of dispersed collaboration extend beyond software development to other knowledge-intensive activities.