Explore a "third way" for sustainable open-source maintenance in this 33-minute conference talk from Ruby Central. Discover insights from experiences maintaining Puma and other projects, both volunteer and paid. Learn about a perspective that views maintainers as potential blockers to an unlimited pool of contributors, emphasizing the importance of encouraging contribution. Examine the challenges of increasing demands on maintainer attention as project usage grows, including code writing, documentation, issue triage, and release management. Understand why recruiting other maintainers is crucial and how to address barriers to contribution. Discuss the concept of monopoly on the main branch in open-source projects and its implications for forks and project governance.
Overview
Syllabus
A THIRD WAY FOR OPEN SOURCE
NOT APPLICABLE TO SERVICES, LIKE PACKAGE REPOSITORIES
AS USAGE INCREASES, DEMANDS ON MAINTAINER ATTENTION INCREASE
WRITING CODE: FIX BUGS, WRITE FEATURES, REFACTOR WRITE DOCS ISSUE TRIAGE CODE REVIEW REGULAR RELEASES GREEN BUTTON CONTROL
ISSUE TEAMS DOCS TEAMS NEW CONTRIBUTOR TEAMS RELEASE MANAGERS
#2 THE MOST VALUABLE WORK YOU CAN DO MAINTAINER IS TO RECRUIT OTHER MAINERS
LIBERALLY PASS OUT COMMIT BITS BUT NOT RELEASE PRIVILEGES
WHY DON'T PEOPLE CONTRIBUTE, OR WHY ARE THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS "BAD"?
MONOPOLY ON THE MAIN BRANCH
HOW IS THERE A MONOPOLY ON A COPYLEFT PIECE OF IP?
NO WAY TO BRING LEGITIMACY TO A FORK
DESIGN BY COMMITTEE, HOSTILE TAKEOVER, ETC.
Taught by
Ruby Central
