Alitheia: The Truth about OSS Quality Goes Alpha
Alitheia is a platform for automated evaluation of software projects. Version 0.8.1, which has jst been released, is described by the developers as the first usable alpha version. Core functionality is available, however, some work on execution and individual customization is still required.
The software collects metadata on projects from mailing lists, repositories, source code and bug databases. The data is processed in line with specific criteria and then – in the simplest case – evaluates any new code added, the contributions by individual developers, or the number of bugs. To keep Alitheia extensible, metrics are implemented as plug-ins. The Alitheia download package stores plugins in a separate directory where each plugin is a separate code unit.
An online demo of the project is available to give users an initial impression of how the tool works. Alitheia was sponsored by EU funding and is released under the a BSD license.
A quick inspection of the download file reveals that the developer consortium has organized and documented the software (which is written in Java and C) thoroughly. The readme in the download file's root directory gives users an overview by describing the Alitheia installation on three systems: the back-end, which collects data for the project to be evaluated, the platform itself ("Alitheia Core"), which uses metrics in the form of plugins to process the data, and the graphical front-end as the user interface. Tips on building and installing, configuration and management, and on developing Alitheia are included in the form of readme files. The project website also has tutorials on administration and use, as well as API documentation with descriptions of classes and functions.
The name Alitheia is Greek for “truth”. The project's goal is no less than providing scientific evidence of the quality of open source software. it will help developers monitor and improve quality, and thus improve acceptance of open software in general. According to the project's about pages, a list of open source projects sorted by measured quality is planned. The test phase sees the project, which was launched in 2006 with a two-year development roadmap enter its final phase. According to the announcement published here the project welcomes help from the community.
The zipped tarball download weighs in at 40MB. The download page, documentation and mailing lists are grouped on the project website. For more information on the objectives and progress made by the project, visit the official .eu website which provides documentation of the results, the project description, and the project contract (PDF, 1MB) less some confidential information. KDE e.V., an Alitheia co-developer, has its own page describing the metrics that it uses for the KDE project, and stating that this has allowed it to remove gaps in the API documentation.
Alitheia: Shedding light on open source software development. How busy have the individual Wireshark developers been?
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs
-
Juno Computers Launches Another Linux Laptop
If you're looking for a powerhouse laptop that runs Ubuntu, the Juno Computers Neptune 17 v6 should be on your radar.