  Reproducibility is inseparable from transparency, as sharing data, code and
computational environment is a pre-requisite for being able to retrace the
steps of producing the research results. Others have made the case that this
artifact sharing should adopt appropriate licensing schemes that permit reuse,
modification and redistribution. I make a new proposal for the role of open
source software, stemming from the lessons it teaches about distributed
collaboration and a commitment-based culture. Reviewing the defining features
of open source software (licensing, development, communities), I look for
explanation of its success from the perspectives of connectivism -- a learning
theory for the digital age -- and the language-action framework of Winograd and
Flores. I contend that reproducibility engenders trust, which we routinely
build in community via conversations, and the practices of open source software
help us to learn how to be more effective learning (discovering) together,
contributing to the same goal.

Computers and Society