Fostering open source culture (Changelog Interviews #628)
Feb 13, 2025
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Arun Gupta, VP at Intel and author of "Fostering Open Source Culture," dives deep into the evolution of open source within organizations. He shares strategies for nurturing community engagement and highlights Intel's journey to create an open ecosystem team. The discussion flows to the rise of AI tools like Augment that boost coding efficiency, and the innovative concept of inner source for collaboration. Gupta draws parallels between hackathons and high-intensity training, underscoring the importance of contribution in cultivating a thriving open source culture.
Arun Gupta emphasizes the transformative power of open source culture in organizations, enhancing software development's innovation and agility.
The establishment of an Open Source Program Office (OSPO) at Intel underscores the company's commitment to community engagement and internal collaboration.
Implementing inner source practices allows teams to gradually adopt open source principles while facilitating knowledge sharing within corporate environments.
Deep dives
Fostering Open Source Culture
The discussion centers on the importance of fostering an open source culture within organizations to enhance innovation and agility in software development. Arun Gupta, the author of 'Fostering Open Source Culture', provides insights into how his extensive experience across various companies has informed this perspective. He emphasizes the necessity of transitioning from closed source to open source models and outlines the significant benefits gained from collaborative development practices. The book serves as a blueprint for organizations aiming to effectively implement open source strategies and culture, complete with case studies from multiple contributors.
Temporal's Developer Platform
Samar Abbas from Temporal explains how the platform revolutionizes application development by enabling developers to create resilient applications. He compares Temporal’s function-oriented approach to classic coding practices, emphasizing how it allows developers to focus on building features without worrying about failures or state management. Temporal facilitates the continuation of function executions, even after failures, a feature that contrasts sharply with traditional methods that often lead to lost work. Abbas advocates for companies to adopt this modern approach to application development, highlighting how well-known organizations already benefit from using Temporal.
Intel's Open Source Initiative
At Intel, Arun Gupta is spearheading the open source ecosystem team with a mission to build an open source culture internally. He discusses the establishment of an Open Source Program Office (OSPO) that supports various initiatives, including community engagement and sponsorship of open source projects. Gupta highlights that Intel’s long history of contributing to open source projects positions it as a leading corporate contributor in the field. His goal is to draw attention to these efforts and foster a strong narrative that communicates Intel's commitment to openness and community involvement.
Engaging with Open Source Communities
The conversation highlights various strategies enterprises can adopt to effectively engage with open source communities, going beyond mere code contribution. Arun emphasizes the significance of non-code contributions, such as project management, quality assurance, and documentation, as vital to sustaining projects. He advocates for businesses to recognize and encourage their employees to participate in open source governance and special interest groups, providing ample opportunities for skill development and networking. By enhancing internal policies that support these efforts, companies can build a strong connection between their teams and the broader open source community.
Establishing Inner Source Practices
Inner source practices within organizations serve as a transitional step toward embracing open source principles while maintaining a controlled environment. Arun discusses that inner source enables teams to collaborate on projects behind corporate firewalls, encouraging knowledge sharing and reducing duplication of efforts. He suggests that companies can leverage these practices by creating platforms for internal projects, fostering discoverability, and running educational events. By bridging the gap between traditional practices and open source methodologies, organizations can cultivate a culture conducive to innovation and collaboration.
Arun Gupta is back, this time with his latest book in hand titled “Fostering Open Source Culture” to share his wisdom and experiences of fostering open source culture. BTW you can use the code OSCULTURE20 to get 20% off (both print and e-book). Use this link and enjoy.
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