CHAOSScast

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast – Episode 122 In this episode of CHAOSScast, host Georg and co-host Alice introduce a special feature showcasing the “CHAOTICS of the Month” who are members recognized for their exceptional contributions to the CHAOSS open source community. Today, they chat with David Lippert, Victoria Ottah, and Cali Dolfi.  David Lippert, Director of the Open Source Program Office at George Washington University, discusses his journey into academia and open source with a focus on public interest technology. Victoria Otta, a UX designer and accessibility advocate, shares her experiences and contributions to the CHAOSS community, particularly in accessibility auditing and inclusion of people with disabilities in open source. Cali Dolfi, a senior data scientist at Red Hat, talks about her work in community data analysis and the Data Science Working Group. Hit download now to hear more! [00:01:42] Georg highlights the purpose of the today’s episode that includes three guests from the “CHAOTICS of the Month” series. [00:01:56] The first CHAOTIC guest is David Lippert. He shares his background being a former software and data engineer, now in academia, and works under a Sloan Foundation grant supporting university OSPOs. [00:05:17] Georg addresses the lack of open source awareness among faculty and encourages integration of open source into academic programs. [00:06:37] David shares his connection to CHAOSS, joining through the CURRIOSS network of academic OSPOs and talks about working with the UN SDG Working Group to measure global impact through open source. He mentions two GWU students won a UN hackathon related to open source data management. [00:10:56] David talks about how metrics vary based on context ( IT department vs. researcher focus). [00:12:44] The next CHAOTIC guest is Victoria Ottah. She shares her background and her journey into CHAOSS, which is the first open source community she joined. CHAOSS provided clarity and mentorship since she was initially struggling as a designer and mentions having early support from Ruth and other maintainers. [00:16:18] Victoria discusses the need to make GitHub and contribution platforms more welcoming to designers and suggests simplified onboarding and linking repositories to Figma or design workspaces. [00:17:45] Victoria’s career goals and focus for 2026 is being a certified accessibility advocate to CHAOSS web projects and advocates for including people with disabilities early in the open source design and development process. [00:20:39] Find out where you can connect with Victoria online. [00:21:33] The last CHAOTIC guest is Cali Dolfi. She shares her background, starting as a data science intern in 2020, and focused on community analytics. She works with CHAOSS tools Augur and 8Knot for data visualization and analysis. [00:25:26] Cali is really excited about working in the Data Science Working Group, collaborating with researchers to explore methods for analyzing open source communities, and developing Practitioner Guides to help organizations interpret metrics effectively. [00:28:03] Cali encourages new contributors to start by joining working groups aligned with their interests and notes that groups are small and welcoming, offering mentorship and practical work. Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:30:40] Georg’s pick is drying garden herbs in a dehydrator to make tea. [00:31:06] Alice’s pick is tending a backyard pond and raising goldfish. [00:33:03] David’s pick is hosting a movie night featuring, The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, to inspire ethics in open source*.* [00:34:59] Victoria’s pick is being proud of reaching her fitness goals. [00:35:23] Cali’s pick is celebrating recovery from ACL surgery and returning to running and playing volleyball after two years. Panelists: Georg Link Alice Sowerby Guests: David Lippert Victoria Ottah Cali Dolfi Links: CHAOSS CHAOSS Project X CHAOSScast Podcast CHAOSS YouTube CHAOSS Slack podcast@chaoss.community Georg Link Website Alice Sowerby LinkedIn David Lippert Bluesky David Lippert GitHub Victoria Ottah Website Victoria Ottah LinkedIn CHAOSScast Podcast episode featuring Victoria Ottah Cali Dolfi LinkedIn CHAOSScast Podcast episodes featuring Cali Dolfi CHAOTIC of the Month - David Lippert (CHAOSS Monthly-GitHub) CHAOTIC of the Month – Victoria Ottah (CHAOSS Monthly-GitHub) CHAOTIC of the Month - Cali Dolfi (CHAOSS Monthly-GitHub) CURIOSS CHAOSS United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) Working Group CHAOSS Data Science Working Group The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz Special Guests: Cali Dolfi and Victoria Ottah.Support CHAOSScast

Andrew Nesbitt, an open source developer focused on package ecosystem sustainability, teams up with Damián Vicino, an experienced open source practitioner, to discuss the creation of the Package Metadata Working Group. They dive into the complexities of package manager metadata, including interoperability issues and the nuanced meanings of identical field names. The conversation also emphasizes how standardized mappings can benefit developers and researchers alike, while inviting new contributors to join their initiatives.

Dawn Foster, a seasoned expert in open source and Director of Data Science for the KAAS Project, teams up with Bob Killen, a Senior Technical Program Manager at the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. They delve into the CHAOSS Practitioner Guides designed to help organizations navigate open source data and communicate its value. The duo discusses strategies for framing contributions that resonate with leadership, leveraging a formula to prioritize project investments, and using effective language to illustrate ROI and secure support for critical projects.

Join open source experts Andrew Nesbitt and Ben Nickolls as they delve into the groundbreaking ecosyste.ms project. Andrew, an open source infrastructure engineer, reveals how ecosyste.ms maps metadata from diverse projects to enhance funding strategies. Ben, a strategic director at Open Source Collective, shares insights on their collaboration to create funding algorithms for crucial open source initiatives. They also explore the challenges of data maintenance and the significance of funding beyond GitHub, ensuring the sustainability of vital projects within the community.

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast – Episode 118 In this episode of CHAOSScast, host Harmony welcomes guests Maryblessing Okolie, Ileriayo Adebiyi, and Joan Njeri, to discuss their experiences and key moments from recent open source community events in Lagos, Nigeria. These events include CHAOSScon Africa, Open Source Community Africa Festival (OSCAFEST), and KCD Nigeria. The guests share their backgrounds and roles within the open source community, their experiences organizing and attending the events, and the importance of building relationships. They also discuss impactful talks and sessions from the events, highlighting topics such as open source program offices (OSPOs), onboarding systems for open source projects, and the role of passion in the tech industry. Hit download now! [00:00:43] Harmony and our guests introduce themselves and their backgrounds. [00:02:54] The guests tell us which conferences they attended. [00:04:22] Maryblessing reflects on her experience organizing CHAOSScon Africa. [00:08:48] Ileriayo, one of the organizers of KCD Nigeria, shares his experiences with planning the event that took two years. [00:11:31] Joan shares her point of view as an attendee of OSCAFEST, being inspired by the energy and collaboration at the events and built partnerships with Eclipse Foundation and others for Kenya projects. [00:13:24] Harmony and our guests discuss their favorite talks they attended. [00:21:46] Joan and Ileriayo explain the cultural exchanges they experienced at the events (e.g. food, Pidgin language, networking, traffic, and cross-continent collaboration.) Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:27:13] Harmony’s pick is connecting with people. [00:27:31] Joan’s pick is connecting with people. [00:28:18] Ileriayo’s pick is relationships and people. [00:29:19] Maryblessing’s pick is Anime. Panelist: Harmony Elendu Guests: Maryblessing Okolie Ileriayo Adebiyi Joan Njeri Links: CHAOSS CHAOSS Project X CHAOSScast Podcast CHAOSS YouTube podcast@chaoss.community Harmony Elendu X Maryblessing Okolie Mastodon Maryblessing Okolie LinkedIn Maryblessing Okolie GitHub Ileriayo Adebiyi Website Ileriayo Adebiyi X Ileriayo Adebiyi LinkedIn Joan Njeri X CHAOSScon Africa 2025 OSCAFEST 2025 KCD Nigeria 2025 Eclipse Foundation One Piece (1999 TV series)Special Guests: Ileriayo Adebiyi, Joan Njeri, and Maryblessing Okolie.Support CHAOSScast

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast – Episode 117 In this episode of CHAOSScast, Georg Link and Sean Goggins welcome guest Vicky Brasseur, author of Business Success with Open Source and Forge Your Future with Open Source. The conversation explores Vicky’s early journey into open source, starting from discovering Project Gutenberg in the early '90s to using Linux for the first time, the challenges companies face when using open source software, and how organizations can better leverage it strategically. The discussion also delves into her book, Forge Your Future with Open Source, which addresses common questions about contributing to open source projects. Vicky highlights the gaps in strategic open source usage within organizations and offers insights on how companies can better utilize open source software to reduce business risks. The conversation wraps up with practical advice for making a compelling business case for open source contributions and the importance of speaking the language of decision-makers. Press download now! [00:01:05] Vicky introduces herself, shares her journey into open source, and introduces Project Gutenberg, LibriVox, and the value of community contributions to open knowledge and public domain resources. [00:06:44] Vicky shares how her first book, Forge Your Future with Open Source, helps newcomers start their contribution journey and why she wrote it to be reused across audiences. [00:10:54] There’s a discussion on how open source opens career path globally, especially in underserved economics. [00:12:46] Vicky shares some advice from her book for new contributors: Don’t start with Linux and find a project in an area you love (e.g., music, cars, sewing) to maintain long-term motivation. [00:15:18] Sean and Georg share their personal origin stories in open source. [00:19:23] Georg introduces Vicky’s second book, Business Success with Open Source, and she discusses the premise of the book and the “Three Part Framework.” [00:26:08] Vicky argues that even Linux Foundation member companies often don’t understand open source at an organizational level. [00:29:19] Vicky is available for consulting, following her layoff. She encourages listeners to reach out via her website. [00:33:55] Why do projects fail? Vicky shares failures come from poor communication and unchecked assumptions across industries, not just tech. [00:35:36] Vicky criticizes companies for chasing vanity metrics like GitHub stars and praises the CHAOSS Project but notes most companies misuse metrics or don’t tie them to strategic goals. Also, “Script kiddie” is explained. [00:40:13] Vicky explains how to ethically influence execs by speaking their language, use Power Points and show cost comparisons (e.g., OpenStreetMap vs Google Maps), and she emphasizes to use “TL;DR” (Too Long; Didn’t Read) friendly presentations to connect open source financial and operational outcomes. [00:44:27] There’s a special discount code for everyone to use on Vicky’s eBooks and audiobooks on The Pragmatic Bookshelf website and the code is VBCHAOSS **for 30% off **through Oct 2025. [00:45:16] Find out where you can follow Vicky and her work on the internet. Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:46:07] Sean’s pick is the movie, Multiplicity (1996) starring Michael Keaton (not Carbon Copy as stated.) [00:47:29] Vicky’s pick is sharing her joy in spinning wool with a vintage spinning wheel. [00:49:35] Georg’s pick is going to an amusement park with his family. Panelists: Georg Link Sean Goggins Guest: VM (Vicky) Brasseur Links: CHAOSS CHAOSS Project X CHAOSScast Podcast CHAOSS YouTube podcast@chaoss.community Georg Link Website Sean Goggins X VM (Vicky) Brasseur Website VM (Vicky) Brasseur Blog VM (Vicky) Brasseur LinkedIn VM (Vicky) Brasseur Mastodon Project Gutenberg LibriVox Forge Your Future with Open Source by VM (Vicky) Brasseur (Code: VBCHAOSS) Business Success with Open Source by VM (Vicky) Brasseur (Code: VBCHAOSS) Nora McDonald (College of Engineering and Computing) Zotero Failure: Why It Happens & How to Benefit from It by VM (Vicky) Brasseur Script kiddie Kevin Mitnick Multiplicity Spinning wheelSpecial Guest: VM (Vicky) Brasseur.Support CHAOSScast

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast – Episode 116 In this episode of CHAOSScast, host Georg Link is joined by guests Sarina Canelake, Feanil Patel, and Felipe Montoya from the Open edX community, to discuss their experiences with the GrimoireLab tool and the launch and growth of their maintainer program.  The conversation dives into the history and impact of the Open edX project, the evolution of their maintainer program, and the use of metrics to track and improve community health. The guests also share personal stories and provide insights into the challenges and successes they’ve encountered along the way. Press download now! [00:00:34] Sarina, Feanil, and Felipe introduce themselves and their backgrounds. [00:02:02] Feanil and Sarina explain the origins of the maintainer program, the mix of Python and JavaScript repositories, and how maintainers influence code direction. [00:04:02] Feanil explains the history of Open edX, being open sourced in 2013 by edX (MOOC platform) and how Axim Collaborative took over stewardship in 2021. [00:07:04] We hear Felipe’s journey into the project from student to TA to community contributor and leader since 2012. He details the empowerment and pressure of receiving merge access in the Core Contributor program. [00:13:09] Sarina Explains why merge rights were initially limited to edX staff, and how the shift to community-led merging happened post 2020. [00:15:26] Feanil describes how the Maintainer Program now distributes ownership and improves repository health. [00:17:12] Feanil talks about his incremental metrics philosophy: starts with presence, then track responsiveness. [00:21:34] Georg asks how maintainers use GrimoireLab dashboards and filters. Sarina explains the use of Backstage ownership metadata for filtering dashboards by maintainers or groups and Feanil emphasizes the need for flexible tooling due to overlapping team memberships. [00:24:50] Felipe describes using dashboards to monitor his team’s participation and accountability. [00:25:40] Sarina asks Felipe about dashboards he uses on Bitergia to track team contributions. [00:28:26] Sarina shares how she tracks Elephant Factor and trends in commit and LOC volume and Georg highlights the value of identity reconciliation in data. [00:30:45] Felipe talks about monitoring Slack, issues, and commits to ensure ecosystem health post-company transitions and Sarina notes challenges of mapping Slack/Discourse identities in Sorting Hat for deeper engagement metrics. [00:34:11] There’s a discussion on syncing internal onboarding identity forms with Sorting Hat manually for now. [00:35:35] Georg raises concerns about metric misuse in performance reviews. Sarina and Feanil stress metrics as guidance, not performance tools, and Felipe shares his team uses metrics as lagging indicators, not for pressure. [00:39:55] Sarina explains how their impact report uses lines of code, commit trends, and elephant factor to show growth and codebase health. [00:42:32] Find out where you can go to get involved and contribute to Open edX and edunext. Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:44:15] Georg’s pick is a podcast called, ‘Through The Griffin Door’ by the Carlin Brothers. [00:44:50] Sarina’s pick is her kitten who’s taught herself how to play fetch and a podcast called, ‘The Best Idea Yet.’ [00:45:37] Feanil’s pick is ‘Logseq,’ a journaling and notetaking tool. [00:46:42] Felipe’s pick is the ‘Waking Up’ app for mindful meditation. Panelist: Georg Link Guests: Sarina Canelake Feanil Patel Felipe Montoya Links: CHAOSS CHAOSS Project X CHAOSScast Podcast CHAOSS YouTube podcast@chaoss.community Georg Link Website Sarina Canelake LinkedIn Sarina Canelake Website Feanil Patel LinkedIn Feanil Patel GitHub Felipe Montoya LinkedIn Open edX Open edX Documentation Open edX (YouTube) Open edX dashboard Open edX GitHub edunext (YouTube) edunext Axim Collaborative MOOC Through The Griffin Door (YouTube) The Best Idea Yet Podcast Logseq Waking Up Special Guests: Feanil Patel, Felipe Montoya, and Sarina Canelake.Support CHAOSScast

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! In this double-length CHAOSScast special episode, hosts Harmony Elendu and George Link along with panelists from the CHAOSS community, come together to reflect on their experiences at two major open source events: CHAOSScon North America (co-located with the Open Source Summit) and the United Nations Open Source Week in New York. The episode is packed with personal insights, highlighted key talks, software updates, themes from the events, memorable community interactions, and thoughtful conversations about the future of open source, digital sovereignty, and sustainability. Press download now! [00:00:19] Harmony and the guests introduce themselves and their roles in CHAOSS and the open source community. [00:02:36] Everyone shares their CHAOSScon talk highlights. [00:10:49] Conference moments and experiences are talked about such as Linux Foundation’s puppy therapy booths to reduce stress, knitting as a conversation starter, and spontaneous hallway discussions about software security and SBOMs. [00:17:10] Software updates: Augur now runs easily via Docker Compose, making it accessible to more users. [00:18:59] Elizabeth explains behind the scenes of organizing CHAOSScon with Linux Foundation support, and challenges with speaker curation, CFP management, and logistics. [00:23:17] Harmony invites listeners to CHAOSScon Africa and OSCAFEST’25 happening in August, both in the same week and same location. [00:23:45] Elizabeth, Laura, and Andrew share their CHAOSS booth experiences. [00:28:28] The guests talk about meeting longtime online collaborators in person for the first time. [00:30:16] Cali talks about the Data Science Hackathon, student participation, hands-on project exploration with 8Knot and Auger and the event was hosted by the CHAOSS Data Science Working Group. [00:36:43] Part 2 starts here as host Georg Link takes over with guests Divya, Ruth, and Daniel, who all attended the United Nations Open Source Week in New York. [00:39:45] We hear some key moments from the UN Open Source Week 2025: Governments increasingly adopting OSPOs, sessions on humanitarian tech and open source for crisis response, the energy, engagement, and diversity of thought. [00:50:09] Ruth shares something new she learned going to an Open Source Hardware presentation where they did a demo of DIY microscopes and Georg shares an inspiring story he learned using open hardware. [00:52:12] After being at this conference, Ruth sees open source headed for digital sovereignty and there’s a discussion on the trend toward collaborative Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and public goods. [00:55:37] There’s a conversation on sustainability and open source communities. [01:01:09] Governance and transparency is discussed, Daniel shares an example with Germany’s Sovereign Tech Fund supporting critical infrastructure, and Divya shares going to a session that was focused on payments. [01:06:05] We end with Georg highlighting to check out some recordings from the UN Open Source Week 2025 website and to check out the UN Open Source Principles. Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:32:03] Harmony’s pick is a local coffee. [00:32:26] Cali’s pick is being able to road bike for the first time since surgery. [00:33:05] Elizabeth’s pick is feeling grateful to be in an industry that provides opportunities to meet with and connect with people from all over the world. [00:34:39] Laura’s pick is spending two weeks with open source folks who care far more about people than profits. [00:35:14] Andrew’s pick is reconnecting with Elizabeth and first time traveling with the Timeshifter App to help with jet lag. [01:07:32] Ruth’s pick is friends. [01:08:00] Daniel’s pick is the Digital Resilience Forum. [01:09:27] Divya’s pick is tinkering with pottery. [01:11:16] Georg’s pick is his herbal garden. Panelists: Harmony Elendu Georg Link Guests: Elizabeth Barron Andrew Nesbitt Cali Dolfi Laura Langdon Divya Mohan Ruth Ikegah Daniel Izquierdo Links: CHAOSS CHAOSS Project X CHAOSScast Podcast CHAOSS YouTube podcast@chaoss.community Georg Link Website Harmony Elendu X Elizabeth Barron X Andrew Nesbitt Mastodon Andrew Nesbitt Website Cali Dolfi LinkedIn Cali Dolfi X Laura Langdon Website Laura Langdon Mastodon Ruth Ikegah X Ruth Ikegah LinkedIn Divya Mohan Website Divya Mohan LinkedIn Daniel Izquierdo LinkedIn CHAOSScon Africa 2025 OSCAFEST’25 CHAOSS Data Science Working Group Timeshifter Apps Digital Public Goods Registry Sovereign Tech Agency United Nations Open Source Week 2025 United Nations Digital Public Goods United Nations Open Source Principles OpenFlexure Microscope (open hardware project) Digital Resilience ForumSpecial Guests: Andrew Nesbitt, Cali Dolfi, Divya Mohan, and Laura Langdon.Support CHAOSScast

Christian Taylor, the Head of the Open Source Office at Intersect, joins Tex McCutcheon and Johnny Kelly to discuss enhancing open source community health within the Cardano blockchain. They delve into the innovative 'paid open source model' to motivate contributors and governance complexities that ensure transparency. The team explores how AI can analyze blockchain trends with unique visualizations like the 'jellyfish' diagram. They highlight the importance of community engagement and reflect on personal growth, showcasing the human side of tech.

Daniel Izquierdo, a community health analytics expert, joins Peculiar Umeh, an open source advocate, Cassie Seo, a specialist in responsible technology, and Ijeoma Onwuka, a program manager, to discuss their insights from the FOSS Backstage conference. They explore innovative ways to measure the social and economic impact of open source projects. The conversation highlights diversity initiatives, the importance of sustainable practices, and emerging digital health infrastructures that balance privacy with collaboration. Personal growth and community impact are central themes.