Episode 123: Practitioner Guides: #6 Sunsetting an Open Source Project

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Nov 13, 2025

Dawn Foster, a director of data science with over 25 years in open source, teams up with Stefka Dimitrova, an open source practitioner celebrated for her work at VMware. They dive into sunsetting open source projects, discussing the vital need for responsible project lifecycle management. Key points include metrics for identifying inactive projects, the significance of thorough communication, and practical steps to ensure a smooth transition. They emphasize that sunsetting should be an integral part of project planning, not just a last-minute decision.

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ADVICE

Use Practitioner Guides To Act

Use practitioner guides to interpret metrics and take concrete actions to improve project health.
Focus on practical how-tos and steps, not just dashboards of metrics.

INSIGHT

Inactive Projects Create Real Risk

Unarchived inactive projects create real security and reputational risks for organizations.
Treat sunsetting as a responsible lifecycle step, not just deletion or neglect.

ANECDOTE

VMware Experience Sparked Sunsetting Work

Stefka built VMware's sunsetting program after noticing projects with unreachable original contributors and risk exposure.
She framed sunsetting as a natural lifecycle phase and designed processes to address it responsibly.

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Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast!

CHAOSScast – Episode 123

This episode of the CHAOSScast features hosts Harmony Elendu and Alice Sowerby, along with guests Stefka Dimitrova and Dawn Foster, discussing the process of sunsetting open source projects. Dawn and Stefka share their extensive experiences and the importance of managing the lifecycle of open source projects responsibly. They delve into the specifics of the 'Getting Started with Sunsetting an Open Source Project' guide from Dawn's series of practitioner guides, which aim to help practitioners, not just experts, interpret data and improve their project health. Key topics include identifying inactive projects, the responsible steps for sunsetting, and the crucial role of communication within the community. The episode also touches upon metrics to determine project activity and archive responsibly, highlighting that the process goes beyond simply pressing an 'archive' button. Hit download now to hear more!

[00:00:23] The hosts and guests introduce themselves.

[00:02:09] Dawn explains the purpose of the CHAOSS Practitioner Guides.

[00:04:54] Harmony asks Dawn what inspired her to write the “Getting Started with Sunsetting an Open Source Project” guide. She highlights the problem of inactive, unarchived projects creating security and reputational risks and being inspired by VMware’s internal sunset process let by Stefka when they both worked there.

[00:06:23] Dawn explains why projects shouldn’t remain unarchived and who the guide is intended for.

[00:07:30] Stefka shares her background and how she got started with sunsetting projects while she was at VMware.

[00:10:33] Dawn discusses the three Primary metrics: Change Requests, New Issues, and Technical Forks.

[00:12:10] Harmony asks how to identify a functionally abandoned project and Dawn explains if there’s no updates or security patches it’s likely abandoned.

[00:13:07] Stefka outlines some responsible “sunsetting” steps.

[00:16:16] Harmony asks what to do if an active project decides to wind down and Stefka says it’s better to decide proactively while still active, plan and communicate early, re-evaluate priorities, and prepare alternatives.

[00:17:31] Dawn adds within companies, it must involve PR and customer teams to manage impact and have a transition plan and timeline.

[00:18:20] Alice summarizes the dual responsibility of both OSPOs and maintainers to recognize when it’s time to sunset and Stefka shares an example that was helpful for the teams she worked with.

[00:21:17] Alice reflects that open source is about people as much as technology and managing emotional transitions is vital.

[00:21:58] Final takeaways: Dawn encourages listeners to read the guide and follow its step-by-step approach for responsible project sunsetting and Stefka encourages people to be ready for the sunset form the start of a project and keep the guide handy as a reference for your teams.

Value Adds (Picks) of the week:

[00:23:36] Dawn’s pick is her 3D printer.
[00:24:47] Harmony’s pick is talking a walk after the rain.
[00:25:52] Stefka’s pick is working with people at the Playback Theatre*.*
[00:26:59] Alice’s pick is Vitamin B3 for skin cancer prevention.

Panelists:

Harmony Elendu

Alice Sowerby

Guests:

Dawn Foster

Stefka Dimitrova

Links:

CHAOSS

CHAOSS Project X

CHAOSScast Podcast

CHAOSS YouTube

podcast@chaoss.community

Harmony Elendu X

Alice Sowerby LinkedIn

Dawn Foster X

Stefka Dimitrova LinkedIn

CHAOSS: Practitioner Guide: Getting Started with Sunsetting an Open Source Project

CHAOSS: About the CHAOSS Practitioner Guides

When and How to Deprecate an Open Source Project by Stefka Dimitrova

Deprecating an Open Source Project, Part 2 by Stefka Dimitrova
Simple Steps for a Calm “Sunset”- Stefka Dimitrova’s video from the Open Source Summit in Europe (2022)

Dos and don’ts when sunsetting open source projects (GitHub Blog)

Shutting Down An Open Source Project (TODO Group Guide)

When to Send Flowers? End of Life and End of Support Across the Ecosystem-Allen Friedman’s video Open Source Summit

10 quick tips for making your software outlive your job (white paper)

Playback Theatre Network

Vitamin B3 can help protect against skin cancer. Here’s who may benefit (npr)

Special Guest: Stefka Dimitrova.

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