The Test Set by Posit Wes McKinney: Part 2 — The open source hustle and an insider view of Positron
Jul 29, 2025
In the latest discussion, Wes McKinney, an open source software developer and creator of pandas, delves into the intricacies of maintaining open source projects. He explains the essential role of corporate support and shares the origin story of Apache Arrow. The conversation highlights the development of Positron, a cutting-edge IDE, and the importance of interoperable tools across programming languages. Wes also touches on how modern IDEs should cater to both users and machine learning models, blending his coding insights with a passion for music.
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Open Source Needs A Business Case
- Open source sustainability requires building a clear business case and securing corporate resources.
- Passion alone rarely scales projects; corporate support and budgeting matter as much as code.
Two Sigma Backed Arrow Early On
- Early Arrow development found committed backers at Two Sigma who funded Wes to work on the project.
- That corporate sponsorship enabled work that individual passion alone could not sustain.
Apache Creates Neutral Governance
- The Apache Software Foundation provides a neutral governance home that builds trust between corporate contributors.
- Open, public decision-making and permissive licensing reduce fears about hidden agendas and IP risk.