CHAOSScast

Chrys Wu, the product lead at Invest in Open Infrastructure, discusses pivotal insights from the 'State of Open Infrastructure' report. She highlights how community health frameworks impact decision-making, focusing on CHAOSS, FOREST, and POSI. The conversation dives into the significance of trust and transparency in open infrastructure, alongside the role of tools like InfraFinder in improving community engagement. Chrys also addresses challenges in attracting contributors and the importance of diversity metrics for robust open-source projects.

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast – Episode 111 In this episode of the CHAOSScast, host Harmony leads a discussion featuring panelists Dawn Foster, Peculiar Umeh, Aishat Muhammed, and Elizabeth Barron, all of whom are involved in the CHAOSS Education Project. They discuss their roles within the CHAOSS Project and introduce the CHAOSS Education Project, which aims to create accessible learning resources for open source contributors at various experience levels. They cover the project's categories, share their personal contributions, personal growth, the impact on the community, future plans for sustainability and expansion, and how you can contribute to the project. Hit download now to hear more! [00:00:27] The panelists introduce themselves and their backgrounds. [00:02:40] Peculiar gives an overview of the CHAOSS Education Project which launched at CHAOSScon Europe 2025. [00:04:39] Dawn talks about the target audience of the project, with the primary audience being CHAOSS community newcomers. and anybody can take any of the courses. [00:06:38] Elizabeth talks about her contribution with creating an ‘Into to CHAOSS’ video and helped review and update script content. [00:07:19] Aishat shares her contribution working on content about types of open source and licensing and how research deepened her own understanding. [00:09:20] Peculiar talks about her contributions as Project Manager where she led project design, content workflow, contributor onboarding, and quality review. [00:10:57] Dawn shares her contributions with creating the ‘Practitioner Guides’ videos and other key educational content. [00:12:12] Elizabeth speaks about the impact of the project, transitioning chaotic onboarding into a structured learning tool. [00:13:38] Aishat explains her personal growth form contributing, gaining deeper understanding of licensing and types of open source, and improving technical and collaborative skills. [00:14:45] Dawn shares her observations on community engagement and how happy she is seeing new faces, especially from CHAOSS Africa. [00:15:59] Peculiar shares her project management growth and how it enhanced her people skills, patience, and learned the value of diverse collaboration. [00:17:23] Harmony wants to know the future of CHAOSS Education Project and Elizabeth shares the project’s future and elaborates on the success of the project. [00:19:46] Aishat fills us in on how to contribute to the CHAOSS Education Project. [00:22:05] Peculiar talks about the global impact on the project with a streamlined onboarding process, positive community feedback, and universities and external communities using the materials. Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:25:07] Harmony’s pick is to be open to mentor everyone as much as you can. [00:25:49] Dawn’s pick is vacations. [00:26:16] Elizabeth’s pick is “Good Things Happen to me and for me list.” [00:27:05] Aishat’s pick is friendship. [00:27:50] Peculiar’s** **pick is adventure. Panelist: Harmony Elendu Guests: Dawn Foster Peculiar Umeh Aishat Muhammed Elizabeth Barron Links: CHAOSS CHAOSS Project X CHAOSScast Podcast podcast@chaoss.community Harmony Elendu X Dawn Foster Bluesky Peculiar Umeh LinkedIn Elizabeth Barron LinkedIn Aishat Muhammed LinkedIn CHAOSS Education CHAOSS Education Project CHAOSS Education GitHubSpecial Guests: Aishat Muhammed and Peculiar Umeh.Support CHAOSScast

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast – Episode 110 In this episode of CHAOSScast, host Harmony Elendu brings together two remarkable CHAOSS Africa contributors, Busayo Ojo and Yigakpoa Ikpae (Yiga), for an inspiring conversation in the "20 Minutes in CHAOSS Africa*"* series. They discuss how they discovered open source, navigated the CHAOSS community, overcame early confusion, and ultimately flourished as leaders and mentors. Also, they highlight the importance of participation, attending meetings, helping newcomers, and the unique initiatives within the CHAOSS community that help foster inclusivity and engagement. Press the download button now to hear more! [00:01:41] Busayo shares her open source journey that started in 2021. [00:04:08] Yiga shares finding her place with discovering CHAOSS at an event but initially didn’t understand it but returned after being inspired by the community’s warmth. [00:06:20] Busayo talks about settling into the community and praises CHAOSS for being welcoming, having an effective first-time contributor guide, and the importance of showing up and helping others. [00:10:54] Yiga talks about her first contributions and growth, starting with small tasks to build confidence, and becoming more involved through liaison and support roles. [00:12:46] Busayo explains how open source improved her career trajectory and global network, being inspired by other leaders, and forming lasting friendships. [00:14:21] Yiga explains her improved communication and leadership skills, learning humility and openness to feedback, and how contributions can open career doors. [00:17:02] Busayo shares her favorite CHAOSS initiatives including the Tour Guide Program, helping organize CHAOSScon Africa 2023, and the CHAOSS Hacktoberfest event. [00:19:59] What keeps Yiga going? She credits YouTube recordings for learning and highlights CHAOSS’s documentation culture and transparency. [00:20:55] Harmony reflects on how YouTube recordings helped him personally. Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:21:20] Harmony’s pick is AI has been his personal assistant lately. [00:21:48] Busayo’s pick is taking a break is very important. [00:22:59] Yiga’s pick is using AI, take breaks, eat good food, and enjoy life. *Panelist: * Harmony Elendu Guests: Yigakpoa Ikpae (Yiga) Busayo Ojo Links: CHAOSS CHAOSS Project X CHAOSScast Podcast CHAOSS YouTube podcast@chaoss.community Harmony Elendu X Busayo Ojo (Medium) Yigakpoa Ikpae (Yiga) (CHAOSS) CHAOSS AfricaSpecial Guest: Yigakpoa Ikpae.Support CHAOSScast

Brittany Istenes, a FINOS Ambassador with expertise in open source compliance, joins Senior Data Scientist Cali Dolfi to explore crucial issues in software security. They discuss the alarming rise of malicious packages and the vital role of Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) in safeguarding open source projects. The duo highlights challenges in standardizing SBOM formats and the necessity of assessing project health. They also provide practical steps organizations can take to mitigate risks and improve community engagement.

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast – Episode 108 In this episode of CHAOSScast, Harmony Elendu hosts a dynamic panel discussion with Divya Mohan, Yaya Xia, and Leon Nunes to discuss the latest updates from the CHAOSS Asia chapter. The episode dives into the history and growth of the CHAOSS Asia chapter, from focusing on metrics and localization to expanding collaborations across Asia. They discuss the challenges of awareness, contributor participation and cultural and linguistic diversity. The conversation also highlights plans for 2025 to include creating a database of open-source communities in Asia and enhancing community engagement through tailored awareness efforts. The conversation also touches on the importance of mentorship in open-source communities. Hit download now to hear more! [00:00:31] The guests introduce themselves and their backgrounds. [00:03:31] Yaya tells us the brief history of CHAOSS Asia that started in 2020. [00:05:09] Divya talks about the growth and strategy of CHAOSS Asia and how it shifted to broader community engagement and partnerships. [00:07:53] Leon talks about contributor participation and the GitHub repo for issues if anyone is interested in participating. [00:09:24] Divya shares plans for 2025 to include creating a database of open source communities in Asia. [00:11:02] Yaya dives into some challenges such as cultural and language barriers, CHAOSS is more research-focused, and the need for localized, language-accessible discussions and events. [00:13:18] Divya brings up awareness being a huge challenge when it comes to the CHAOSS project because many assume CHAOSS is only about non-technical/community work and region-specific tailored outreach is necessary. [00:15:29] Harmony asks about the current focus in CHAOSS Asia and Divya shares increasing awareness through virtual meetups, conference talks, and partnering with organizations. [00:16:40] Leon speaks about the social media and language inclusion presence with CHAOSS Asia managing Twitter and LinkedIn and considering localized subgroups for language-specific events. [00:18:21] Yaya talks about local orgs and events to connect CHAOSS and wants to bring more attention to inclusion for disabled contributors (DEI). [00:20:05] Divya highlights the importance of partnerships and amplifying others’ work. [00:21:26] Divya talks about how they are maximizing community and contributors’ participation with meetings scheduled for convenience across Asian time zones and emphasis on safety, inclusion, and providing space for diverse voices. [00:23:11] Yaya speaks about wanting to demonstrate metrics’ value to more maintainers and plans to present at local events in native languages (e.g. Chinese). Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:25:24] Harmony’s pick is mentorship. [00:26:17] Divya’s pick is her two cats. [00:26:56] Yaya’s pick is her cat. [00:27:29] Leon’s pick is his cat, traveling, and dancing. Panelist: Harmony Elendu Guests: Divya Mohan Yaya Xia Leon Nunes Links: CHAOSS CHAOSS Project X CHAOSScast Podcast podcast@chaoss.community CHAOSS Community Slack Harmony Elendu X Divya Mohan LinkedIn Leon Nunes LinkedIn Yaya Xia LinkedIn CHAOSS Asia CHAOSS Asia GitHubSpecial Guest: Divya Mohan.Support CHAOSScast

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast- Episode 107 In this episode of CHAOSScast, we have a special crossover episode with Sustain, hosted Richard Littauer. Richard chats with CHAOSS contributor Sean Goggins, a tenured full Professor of Computer Science at the University of Missouri. Sean discusses his extensive involvement in the open source community, particularly through his work with the CHAOSS Project, a Linux Foundation initiative focused on understanding and improving open-source project sustainability. Their conversation covers Sean's academic background, his role in CHAOSS, the importance of distributed leadership, and how metrics can impact the sustainability of open source projects. Sean also shares insights into his teaching methods, the challenges of maintaining open source software, and the future direction of his work on CHAOSS and Augur. Hit the download button now! [00:02:32] Sean shares that he’s a professor specializing in software engineering, algorithms, data science, and visualization, and he discusses his tenure status and passion for research and open source work. [00:03:48] Sean explains how open source leadership is distributed rather than centralized. [00:05:52] We hear how the CHAOSS Project emerged from studying open source governance and leadership. Sean and Matt Germonprez started working on open source collaboration data and a metrics-focused discussion at a Linux Foundation Summit that led to the founding of the CHAOSS Project in 2017. [00:09:30] Richard asks Sean how he balances research, teaching, and open source. Sean discusses how he splits time between research (40%), teaching (40%), and service (20%), with CHAOSS being a major part of his research efforts. [00:14:34] Sean explains that the Augur Project was born out of a need for structured open source data tracking. [00:16:25] Richard asks Sean if he teaches his students about open source, and he explains that he uses CHAOSS and Auger to teach students about GitHub collaboration, pull requests, and open source workflows. [00:20:32] Sean shares his insights on research and open source. He emphasizes his involvement in maintaining software and aiding organizations in making sense of CHAOSS metrics through Augur, which has given him a deep understanding of open source development. [00:21:51] Sean explains why he thinks metrics help make projects more sustainable and how the CHAOSS community has benefitted from fostering a welcoming environment for both technical and non-technical contributors. [00:26:30] We hear some challenges within CHAOSS where it’s been difficult to build a strong developer community around CHAOSS software tools and maintaining open source software requires significant effort. [00:29:18] He goes further to explain how to be a better project and that there’s potential for improving project sustainability through structured mentoring and governance. [00:36:14] Sean shares CHAOSS Project’s future and research goals. Panelist: Richard Littauer of Sustain Guest: Sean Goggins of CHAOSS Value Adds (Picks)/Spotlight: [00:38:32] Richard’s spotlight is BibtexParser. [00:39:28] Sean’s spotlight is Stuart Geiger. Links: SustainOSS podcast@sustainoss.org richard@sustainoss.org SustainOSS Discourse SustainOSS Mastodon Open Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute) Richard Littauer Socials Sean Goggins Website Sean Goggins X Nora McDonald Website Nora McDonald-Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Sustain Podcast- 3 episodes featuring guest Georg Link Sustain Podcast- 2 episodes featuring guest Dawn Foster Matt Germonprez-Univ. of Nebraska Omaha The Linux Kernel Maintainer Summit-Tokyo, Japan 2025 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation CHAOSS CHAOSS-GrimoireLab CHAOSS-Augur Kelly Blincoe-University of Auckland James Howison Sustain Podcast- episode 218 featuring guest James Howison Sustain Podcast-episode 243 featuring guest Elizabeth Barron Sustain Podcast-episode 65 featuring guest Brian Proffitt Sustain Podcast-2 episodes featuring guest Duane O’Brien Sustain Podcast-episode 200 featuring guest Stuart Geiger Digital Infrastructure Podcast- 2 episodes featuring guest Rayya El Zein BibtexParser Stuart GeigerSpecial Guest: Richard Littauer.Support CHAOSScast

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast – Episode 106 In this episode of the CHAOSScast, host Alice Sowerby introduces guests Dawn Foster, Cailean Osborne, and Paul Sharratt to discuss the newly formed 'Funding Impact Measurement Working Group' within the CHAOSS community. The panel explores the group's origins, goals, and objectives, emphasizing the importance of mixed method approaches to assess the impact of funding on open source projects. They highlight the significance of both quantitative and qualitative methods to understand the effects of funding better and share insights on creating standardized frameworks for impact assessment. The discussion also touches on the challenges of public versus private funding, the nuances of financial support in open source projects, and the potential benefits of having a collaborative, open forum for related discussions. Hit download now to hear more! [00:02:55] Dawn explains the newly established ‘Funding Impact Measurement Working Group’ within the CHAOSS Project including its goals and how often they meet. [00:04:26] Paul describes how the working group was founded after a research paper was written on measuring the impact of public funding on open source and how they presented at Open Forum Academy at Harvard Business School. [00:07:20] Dawn highlights open source funding comes from different sources and more about Microsoft’s FOSS Fund and measuring the impact of corporate sponsorship. [00:10:25] Cailean outlines all the core objectives of the working group. [00:13:17] We hear about the working group’s first meeting, including members from Digital Infrastructure Insights Fund, and the plan to build a repository of funding models, their effectiveness, and key case studies. [00:15:34] There’s a discussion on the challenges in measuring funding impact, which Dawn explains cases where funding has led to community conflicts (some contributors get paid while others remain unpaid). [00:19:45] Cailean talks about the long-term vision for the group which is expanding participation across different funding sources and building open source tools (e.g., Python scripts, Jupyter Notebooks) to support funding impact assessments. [00:21:26] Dawn encourages participation in a working group by contributing in various ways, whether through technical resources, providing insights and experiences related to funding impacts, or simply learning and engaging in discussions. [00:23:42] Paul and Cailean emphasize the need for qualitative research alongside quantitative metrics. Policymakers often seek “hard numbers,” but contextual insights from interviews and case studies are crucial. Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:29:12] Cailean’s pick is Audrey Tang at RightsCon on her dual meaning of digital in Chinese. [00:30:34] Dawn’s pick is Blender for designing 3D models she can print. [00:32:35] Paul's pick is ERROR bug bounty program. [00:33:46] Alice’s pick is scrolling for things on eBay like fun sweaters. Panelist: Alice Sowerby Guests: Dawn Foster Cailean Osborne Paul Sharratt Links: CHAOSS CHAOSS Project X CHAOSScast Podcast CHAOSS Slack podcast@chaoss.community CHAOSS Calendar Alice Sowerby LinkedIn Dawn Foster Bluesky Cailean Osborne, PhD LinkedIn Paul Sharratt LinkedIn Paul Sharratt Bluesky Sovereign Tech Agency The Linux Foundation Europe Funding Impact Measurement Working Group A Toolkit for Measuring the Impacts of Public Funding on Open Source Software Development (Paper) “Measuring the impact of our investments: introducing a co-authored paper,” by Paul Sharratt [Audrey Tang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Tang#:~:text=Audrey%20Tang%20(Chinese%3A%20%E5%94%90%E9%B3%B3,ten%20greatest%20Taiwanese%20computing%20personalities%22.) ERROR Blender #1-Dawn designed and printed on Blender #2-Dawn designed and printed on BlenderSpecial Guests: Cailean Osborne and Paul Sharratt.Support CHAOSScast

In this discussion, Heather Ellsworth, a Senior Developer Relations Engineer, Wayne Mery, Thunderbird's Community Manager, and Luis Cañas-Díaz, leader at Bitergia, delve into their collaboration on community metrics. They share insights on leveraging Grimoire Lab to enhance community engagement and the importance of data-driven decisions. Wayne reflects on Thunderbird's evolution from Netscape, while Heather emphasizes actionable metrics for community health. Together, they offer advice for open source projects considering similar approaches and share their future aspirations.

Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast! CHAOSScast – Episode 104 In this episode of CHAOSScast, join our host Harmony along with guests Winifred Young and Oluchi Nwankwo as they dive into their journeys and experiences in the open source community. They discuss their first encounters with open source, their contributions, and the impacts they've made within CHAOSS Africa. They also highlight the importance of effective onboarding, clear documentation, and the need for better marketing strategies in open source communities. Press download to hear more! [00:00:24] Winifred and Oluchi introduce themselves and tell us what they do. [00:01:55] Winifred recounts her initial confusion about open source and her eventual engagement through programs like Google Summer of Code. [00:02:53] Oluchi describes her introduction to open source during a coding bootcamp and meeting Ruth Ikegah, community lead at CHAOSS Africa. [00:04:52] Oluchi talks about her slow start and eventual active involvement in the CHAOSS Africa community through managing social media. [00:06:50] Winifred shares her struggles with joining the community due to her mobility issues and how she became more involved through attending community meetings. [00:09:28] Harmony highlights the importance of attending community meetings as a form of participation and praises newcomers’ hangout for helping new members. [00:11:13] Oluchi reflects on her impactful experience managing CHAOSS Africa’s conference communications in 2018. [00:13:07] Winifred discusses organizing an outreach event for the Disability-Inclusion team, emphasizing how open source has provided her with opportunities to lead and make a difference. [00:16:14] We end with a discussion on the areas for improvement in the community, like better documentation and increased visibility of projects through effective marketing. Value Adds (Picks) of the week: [00:19:50] Oluchi’s pick is to make that switch and see yourself flourish. [00:20:23] Winifred’s pick is to learn how your brain works and don’t be shy to ask for help. [00:21:06] Harmony’s pick is to just take the risk. Panelist: Harmony Elendu Guests: Oluchi Nwankwo Winifred Young Links: CHAOSS CHAOSS Project X CHAOSScast Podcast podcast@chaoss.community Harmony Elendu X Harmony Elendu LinkedIn Oluchi Nwankwo X Oluchi Nwankwo LinkedIn Winifred Young X Winifred Young LinkedIn CHAOSS Project Africa X CHAOSS-Africa GitHub Disability Outreach- Bridging Disability And Technology- CHAOSS Blog Post by Victoria Ottah and Winifred YoungSpecial Guests: Oluchi Nwankwo and Winifred Young.Support CHAOSScast

Miguel Ángel Fernández, a data scientist and GrimoireLab contributor, joins Ed Maste, a long-time FreeBSD committer, and Moin Rahman, a seasoned contributor focused on documentation. They dive into how FreeBSD adopted GrimoireLab to manage its extensive bug backlog and optimize project insights. Discussions reveal the integration challenges and how metrics enhancements have improved bug management and community engagement. The guests share personal growth experiences within the open-source community, showcasing the blend of technology and passion.