
CHAOSScast
This CHAOSS Community podcast features members who spent considerable time and effort to understand open source community health and how we can measure it through metrics, analytics, and software. We invite guests to this podcast to talk about how they use open source community health metrics and software in their own open source communities, companies, or foundations. This podcast fills the gap with open source community metric definitions and software on one side and their use on the other side.
Latest episodes

4 snips
Sep 5, 2024 • 29min
Episode 92: ISO Standards for Open Source Community Health Metrics
Divya Mohan, an expert in ISO standards for open source community health metrics, joins the conversation to highlight the vital role of ISO standards in ensuring interoperability and credibility in open source projects. She discusses existing standards like SPDX and the ongoing development of the Security Assurance Specification by the OpenChain Project. The panel emphasizes community engagement in refining health metrics and how these standards can improve security and project vitality, making open source efforts more robust and recognized.

Aug 22, 2024 • 38min
Episode 91: Red Hat OSPO: Contextual Community Analytics and the AI Hype Cycle
Cali Dolfi, a Senior Data Scientist at Red Hat, and Josh Berkus, a Community Architect at Red Hat, share their insights into open source community health. They dive into their innovative work on Project Aspen, emphasizing the importance of contextual metrics. The duo discusses the evolving challenges of the cloud-native ecosystem, particularly with Kubernetes. They also explore the potential impact of generative AI on data practices and community engagement, drawing compelling parallels between cultivating plants and building vibrant online communities.

Aug 8, 2024 • 20min
Episode 90: 20min in CHAOSS Africa with Victoria and Kingsley
Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast!
CHAOSScast – Episode 90
In this episode of CHAOSScast, host Harmony Elendu welcomes guests Kingsley Mkpandiok and Victoria Ottah from CHAOSS Africa. They share their unique encounters with open source, from reading articles and attending events to making their first contributions. They discuss the importance of community engagement, the valuable skills they've developed, and the significance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in their work. The episode highlights how volunteering and active participation in open source not only benefits the community but also enhances personal growth and networking opportunities. Press download now to hear more!
[00:00:34] Kingsley and Victoria introduce themselves and tell us about their backgrounds.
[00:02:48] Kingsley describes how he engaged with open source through a LinkedIn post by Ruth Ikegah, which led to his involvement with CHAOSS. Victoria tells us how she was initially hesitant as a non-code contributor, but she was inspired by a designer at the OSCA fest event, leading her to active contributions in design for open source.
[00:05:29] Harmony’s personal onboarding experience was being influenced by social media posts and personal onboarding by Ruth Ikegah in open source, while Adeyinka Oresanya started his first contribution through documentation in CHAOSS.
[00:06:34] There’s a discussion on how initial contributions to CHAOSS Africa was like as Kingsley explains his first project involved a flyer design for a Twitter space, and Victoria’s debut was on the DI badging UI along with other minor contributions.
[00:09:50] Harmony stresses the importance of attending meetings as part of contributing to the open source community and highlights the significance of onboarding parties hosted by CHAOSS, which are crucial for new contributors.
[00:12:07] The conversation switches to reflections on experiences within the open source community. Kingsley values the community aspect of open source most, sharing how it’s led to friendships and collaborative opportunities, and Victoria discusses how open source has been instrumental in teaching her patience and improving her interpersonal skills.
[00:16:28] Harmony ranks CHAOSS Africa as his top three communities due to its supportive and effective management and appreciates the efforts of community managers and facilitators.
Value Adds (Picks) of the week:
[00:17:27] Harmony’s pick is volunteering as being the best way to wait for your next opportunity while getting better at something.
[00:18:07] Kingsley’s pick is if you are going to spend time doing a piece of work, do it as well as possible.
[00:18:38] Victoria’s pick is incorporating diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI) in everything.
Quote:
[00:14:09] “To improve your experience, open source is the place to start.”
Panelist:
Harmony Elendu
Guests:
Kingsley Mkpandiok
Victoria Ottah
Links:
CHAOSS
CHAOSS Project X/Twitter
CHAOSScast Podcast
podcast@chaoss.community
Harmony Elendu X/Twitter
Harmony Elendu Substack
Kingsley Mkpandiok Medium
Kingsley Mkpandiok X/Twitter
Kingsley Mkpandiok LinkedIn
Victoria Ottah Medium
Victoria Ottah X/Twitter
Victoria Ottah LinkedIn
Ruth Ikegah X/Twitter
Open Source Community Africa (OSCA)
CHAOSS Africa-GitHub
CHAOSS Project Africa X/Twitter
CHAOSS Africa-Open Collective
CHAOSS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group-GitHubSpecial Guests: Kingsley Mkpandiok and Victoria Ottah.Support CHAOSScast

Jul 25, 2024 • 32min
Episode 89: Practitioner Guides: #3 Organizational Participation
In this engaging discussion, Dawn Foster, an open source project engagement expert, Elizabeth Barron, who focuses on organizational participation, and Harmony Elendu, a CHAOSS metrics specialist, dive into the nuances of organizational involvement in open source. They explain how CHAOSS Practitioner Guides simplify complex metrics for project health. Key topics include the importance of diverse contributors, the challenges of measuring organizational influence, and the role of community managers in fostering thriving environments. Tools like Augur and Grimoire Lab are also highlighted as essential for effective data analysis.

Jul 11, 2024 • 33min
Episode 88: Practitioner Guides: #2 Contributor Sustainability
Dawn Foster and Elizabeth Barron discuss open source contributor sustainability, emphasizing the impact on project viability, avoiding single points of failure, and the human aspect of contributions. They highlight the importance of practitioner guides, proactive community building, and valuing all contributors. Practical strategies and examples are shared for long-term project success.

Jun 27, 2024 • 38min
Episode 87: Celebrating 2 years of CHAOSS Africa
Thank you to the folks at Sustain for providing the hosting account for CHAOSSCast!
CHAOSScast – Episode 87
In this episode of CHAOSScast, host Elizabeth Barron is joined by panelists Anita Ihuman and Ruth Ikegah, along with guests, Enock Kasaadha and Maryblessing Okolie, as they
delve into the experiences and contributions of CHAOSS Africa, a regional chapter of the CHAOSS Project. They share personal stories of how they got involved in open source, the influence of CHAOSS Africa on their careers, and the community's growth over the past two years. Discussion highlights include the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, the supportive nature of the CHAOSS community, and future aspirations for CHAOSS Africa. Press download to hear much more!
[00:03:34] Ruth shares her journey into open source which began out of curiosity during her microbiology studies when she observed a friend participating in an open source project via a Google meet call.
[00:06:13] Enock describes his transition from software development to open source, highlighting the initial challenges he faced finding a welcoming community. He praises CHAOSS for their newcomer-friendly environment.
[00:07:51] Maryblessing got into open source after being introduced through a friend who participated in an Outreachy internship, she then joined CHAOSS. Initially, she observed the community to understand how her skills could contribute, and over time she became an active participant.
[00:10:24] Anita shares a similar background with Ruth, having been classmates. Her interest in open source grew as she saw peers making significant contributions to tech, which encouraged her to engage in open source, leading her to CHAOSS.
[00:13:11] The discussion switches to how CHAOSS Africa came to be. Ruth explains how she transitioned from GNOME to CHAOSS through her interactions with other open source contributors. She credits Outreachy, an internship program that CHAOSS participated in, and highlights the role of the DI (Diversity and Inclusion) audits team and the Ford Foundation in recognizing the contributions of African members.
[00:19:18] Elizabeth asks about the impact of open source and CHAOSS on their lives. Enock responds, detailing how CHAOSS acts as an incubator for learning open source contributions skills, which are transferable to other communities. He emphasizes the values of patience, trust, and appreciation cultivated within the CHAOSS community.
[00:24:10] Maryblessing emphasizes how the community has helped advance her career, particularly in managing volunteers, appreciating diversity and inclusion, and improving her decision-making processes. She highlights how CHAPSS has enabled her to engage effectively in other communities and appreciate the role of non-coding contributions in open source projects.
[00:28:12] Anita shares that CHAOSS has broadened her understanding of community health beyond resolving disputes, revealing the multifaceted nature of building a healthy community. She appreciates how her involvement in CHAOSS has allowed her to explore non-coding roles in open source.
[00:29:56] The discussion shifts to the future of CHAOSS Africa, with Ruth and Enock envisioning greater expansion across the continent. They discuss supporting local events and including more countries in their efforts.
Value Adds (Picks) of the week:
[00:34:01] Elizabeth’s pick is reconnecting with old friends.
[00:34:46] Enock’s pick is motivation is overrated.
[00:35:25] Anita’s pick is the recent feedback from her company on her efforts.
[00:35:50] Maryblessing’s pick is Notion.
[00:36:12] Ruth’s pick is being at peace and worrying less.
Panelists:
Elizabeth Barron
Anita Ihuman
Ruth Ikegah
Guests:
Enock Kasaadha
Maryblessing Okolie
Links:
CHAOSS
CHAOSS Project X/Twitter
CHAOSScast Podcast
podcast@chaoss.community
Elizabeth Barron X/Twitter
Ruth Ikegah X/Twitter
Ruth Ikegah LinkedIn
Anita Ihuman LinkedIn
Anita Ihuman GitHub
Enock Kasaadha Website
Enock Kasaadha LinkedIn
Maryblessing Okolie Website
Maryblessing Okolie LinkedIn
Ford Foundation
CHAOSS Africa GitHub
CHAOSS Africa Open Collective
CHAOSS Project Africa X/Twitter
Outreachy
GNOME
Maryblessing Okolie’s talk at Berlin Buzzwords (YouTube)
Notion
Join the CHAOSS Africa Slack channelSpecial Guests: Anita ihuman, Enock Kasaadha, and Maryblessing Okolie.Support CHAOSScast

Jun 13, 2024 • 45min
Episode 86: The Turing Institute: Using AI ethically with the power of Open Source
Guests from The Alan Turing Institute discuss using AI ethically with open source. They cover the institute's strategic vision and projects like The Turing Way. Topics include community building, ethical AI, CHAOSS metrics integration, and future initiatives.

May 30, 2024 • 32min
Episode 85: Introducing CHAOSS Practitioner Guides: #1 Responsiveness
Dawn Foster, author of the Responsiveness Guide for CHAOSS, discusses the challenges of interpreting data and metrics in projects. The conversation emphasizes actionable insights for improvement and the risks of misinterpreting metrics. They stress the importance of context and project team involvement. Future directions for the guide series and community contributions are also covered.

May 16, 2024 • 35min
Episode 84: Community Viability - how Verizon thinks about OSS risk
Gary White, Principal Engineer at Verizon, discusses viability metrics models for OSS risk at Verizon. Topics include creating and simplifying models, using Augur for metrics, and challenges in deploying metrics within organizations. The conversation also covers the importance of community engagement, the role of libyres in risk assessment, and Verizon's approach to software viability metrics. Emphasis is placed on engaging with different metric models, enforcing terms on OSS, and supporting projects through active involvement.

8 snips
May 2, 2024 • 46min
Episode 83: Metrics for Organizational and Digital Infrastructure with Edward Vielmetti
In this episode, host Georg and Dawn chat with Edward Vielmetti from Equinix about measuring open source community health using CHAOSS metrics. They discuss project health metrics, challenges of open source governance, and the impact of corporate involvement. Edward shares insights on infrastructure support, project stability, and the importance of monitoring metrics for future projections.