FLOSS Weekly 746: Don't Hesitate, Enculturate! - Claude Warren Jr, Open Source Culture
Aug 23, 2023
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Claude Warren Jr., Open source culture historian, discusses the origins of open source culture, the importance of open source projects as insurance, InnerSource, business source licenses, funding models like Tidelift, challenges in determining the best model, cultural differences in software teams, sustaining projects, ethics of Protestware, and appropriate levels of protest in code.
Funding open source projects is crucial as an insurance policy against failures.
Cultural understanding and open dialogue are essential for effective collaboration in cross-cultural teams.
Sustaining open source projects requires distributed knowledge, strong leadership, and a culture of continuous learning.
Deep dives
Open Source Culture and Managing Risk
Claude Warren Jr. discusses open source culture and how to manage the risks associated with it. He mentions the historical roots of open source culture in coffee shops and explores the modern challenges and debates surrounding geek culture. Warren highlights the importance of funding open source projects as an insurance policy against catastrophic failures. He suggests strategies such as supporting independent developers, forming open source program offices, and evaluating shared dependencies. Warren emphasizes the need to make it safe for individuals to ask questions, promote cross-cultural understanding in teams, and be aware of the potential misunderstandings that can arise due to cultural relativism.
The Challenge of Shepherding Open Source Projects
Warren discusses the challenges faced in shepherding open source projects at different stages of development. He acknowledges that small projects with limited contributors may find it difficult to gain momentum and highlights the importance of fostering a distributed knowledge base within projects to mitigate risks associated with reliance on single individuals. Warren also touches on the impact of project dependencies, the role of benevolent dictators for life, and the vulnerability of projects when key contributors depart. He emphasizes the significance of cultivating a community that can carry the project forward, ensuring continuity and avoiding single points of failure.
The Intersection of Politics and Open Source
Warren addresses the topic of politics intersecting with open source projects. He acknowledges the right of developers to express their political views but raises concerns about violating the expectations set by open source licenses, potentially alienating users who may have different perspectives. He distinguishes between permissible expressions of political beliefs, such as adding messages that do not disrupt the functionality of a project, and actions that break the license agreement or cause harm to users. Warren encourages an open dialogue about acceptable expressions of political statements within the open source community while considering the potential impact on the project and its users.
Cultural Relativism in Cross-Cultural Teams
Warren explores the concept of cultural relativism in the context of cross-cultural teams. He highlights the importance of understanding and respecting cultural differences to foster effective communication, especially in multicultural team environments. Warren shares personal experiences of misunderstandings due to cultural nuances and emphasizes the need for open and respectful dialogue within teams. He suggests creating a safe space for team members to ask questions without fear of offense, promoting cultural awareness, and recognizing the impact of cultural relativism on collaboration. By encouraging open conversations and understanding, teams can navigate potential challenges and enhance their effectiveness.
Thoughts on Sustainable Open Source Development
Warren reflects on the challenges of sustaining open source projects and offers insights into making development more sustainable. He suggests sharing knowledge and empowering more contributors to prevent single points of failure. Warren emphasizes the need for strong project leadership, encouraging project owners to ensure that there are others capable of carrying forward the project's vision and maintaining continuity. He also highlights the importance of creating an environment where developers feel safe to contribute, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and enabling projects to evolve and grow.
Doc Searls and Jonathan Bennett talk with Claude Warren, Jr. about open source culture going back to coffee shops in the 1600s, how open source manners matter, and much more on this episode of FLOSS Weekly.
The concept of open source projects as "insurance" against risk and companies that fund them for risk reduction.
InnerSource as an open source practice to develop and establish an open source-like culture within organizations.
Business source licenses changing mid-project and the fallout following such a chance.
Alternative models like Tidelift for funding open source.
The challenges of determining a single best model vs. many potential solutions.
HashiCorp's shift to a business source license and forking.
The impact of cultural differences on software teams and misunderstandings that can follow.
Setting expectations for asking "improper" questions to learn.
Social media outrage culture vs. traditional "voting with your feet."
How to sustain projects as they evolve from early stages projects.
Why succession planning is needed to continue the progress when project leaders leave.
The ethics of Protestware and embedding political messages.
Drawing lines around appropriate levels of protest or advocacy in code.
