Ethos(s): Enabling Community and Culture

The legitimacy of open source as a software development model is undeniable.  Where companies once feared, they now consume, and even contribute; where viability as a business model was once questioned, there now are venture capital firms, profitability, initial public offerings, and acquisitions.   

Open source is no longer simply the domain of hackers and hobbyists: we, as users, contributors, maintainers, and cat herders, are all part of the open source ecosystem, frequently by way of our employment and career paths, not our spare time.  The broader open source community’s long-standing ethical principles and practices — “free as in freedom,” “with enough eyes, all bugs are shallow” — have brought open source a long way from its roots. 

In a world where open source projects, and the communities behind them, are inextricably tied to either the operation or the revenue generation of our employers — how can we, as contributors, maintainers, and nurturers of those projects, balance our employer’s interests without sacrificing the culture, ethical principles, and practices that are known to enable successful communities?  How do we illustrate to the business that community can be a force multiplier — which is a good thing — but that there are lines not to be crossed?   

This session examines the ethical principles and practices of open source community architecture that empower contributor influence and participation, drawn from both real-world examples and research. It also provides guidance to consumers and creators of open source software, for-profit or otherwise, on how to influence a community’s culture and success, as well as how to influence corporate involvement towards good, and not evil.