“We Feel Like We’re Winging It:” A Study on Navigating Open-Source Dependency Abandonment

While lots of research has explored how to prevent maintainers from abandoning the open-source projects that serve as our digital infras- tructure, there are very few insights on addressing abandonment when it occurs. We argue open-source sustainability research must expand its focus beyond trying to keep particular projects alive, to also cover the sustainable use of open source by supporting users when they face potential or actual abandonment. We interviewed 33 developers who have experienced open-source dependency aban- donment. Often, they used multiple strategies to cope with aban- donment, for example, first reaching out to the community to find potential alternatives, then switching to a community-accepted alternative if one exists. We found many developers felt they had little to no support or guidance when facing abandonment, leaving them to figure out what to do through a trial-and-error process on their own. Abandonment introduces cost for otherwise seem- ingly free dependencies, but users can decide whether and how to prepare for abandonment through a number of different strategies, such as dependency monitoring, building abstraction layers, and community involvement. In many cases, community members can invest in resources that help others facing the same abandoned dependency, but often do not because of the many other competing demands on their time – a form of the volunteer’s dilemma. We dis- cuss cost reduction strategies and ideas to overcome this volunteer’s dilemma. Our findings can be used directly by open-source users seeking resources on dealing with dependency abandonment, or by researchers to motivate future work supporting the sustainable use of open source.