Oxide and Friends Shootout at the CNCF Corral
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May 1, 2025 Rachel Stephens, an analyst at RedMonk, and Adam Jacob, co-founder of Chef and venture partner at System Initiative, share their insights on the recent turmoil in the open-source landscape. They discuss the implications of the NATS trademark controversy and its impact on the CNCF. The conversation blends humor with critiques of project governance and financial scrutiny within industry consortia. Additionally, they reflect on the balance between community autonomy and foundation authority amidst trademark disputes, shedding light on the future of open-source collaboration.
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NATS-CNCF Dispute as Messy Divorce
- NATS project wants to leave CNCF to relicense and regain control but CNCF resists.
- This leads to a messy dispute resembling a 'divorce' with unclear ownership and intentions.
CNCF's Misaligned Focus
- CNCF focuses more on corporate sponsorship than supporting project contributors.
- This causes frustration as projects lack necessary help like documentation and community nurturing.
CNCF as Industry Consortium
- CNCF acts as an industry consortium masquerading as an open source foundation.
- Their business model prioritizes control and membership fees over true open source stewardship.
