Open Source

What was discussed in the Q&A section of the Open Source Initiative’s session at Open Source Summit Europe 2024?

Two years into the “multi-stakeholder process” to define what constitutes as “open source AI”, we are facing a number of issues that are immense, fraught, and nuanced. Why are data excluded from the proposed definition, why are they important, and why are we even doing this?

How developers interpret and understand open source licenses, with a love letter to good research.

The definition of open source isn’t arbitrary; it was designed to preserve the rights of those who create open source and codify the responsibilities of those use it. Its hard-won definition deserves defending, even if it is at times inconvenient.

Over the years, I’ve built up a repository of resources that have shaped my thinking about software engineering, open source, work, life, and so much more. Every so often, I reference them in conversation and am asked for links, other recommendations, and thoughts or commentary about them. This year, I’ll be posting two or three every month, both as a way to revisit them as well as share a few thoughts about how they have changed how I journey throughout this (sometimes confusing) world.

Shifting the view of open source from the resulting code to the social systems that create the code is critical when driving towards long-term sustainability of technology as a whole.

What can we do with a social model of open source? The opportunities are endless.

Identifying and sharing the status of open source projects.

How to encourage a thriving open source community.

The email that you use with your open source commits isn’t just perfunctory—it can communicate intent and important context