Patrick Masson (@massonpj) is currently serving as the General Manager for the Open Source Initiative after working within higher education IT for over twenty years, ranging in roles from Programmer Analyst at UCLA, to Chief Technology Officer in the University of Massachusetts' Office of the President.Patrick also teaches within the College of Computing and Information at the State University of New York at Albany on subjects related to open source software.Patrick has worked to promote the awareness and adoption of open source throughout his career, serving on the Jasig Foundation's Board of Directors, and is currently on the Apereo Foundation's Advisory Council. He is the co-founder and current chair of the EDUCAUSE Constituency Group on Openness and author of the Openness Index.
Authored Comments
Michael,
Excellent advice. Indeed, "open source is more than a license," but it is the starting point that enables a community to form. Github recently revealed that less than 20% of the projects hosted have an open source license attached (https://github.com/blog/1964-open-source-license-usage-on-github-com). Unfortunately, many may think it's a "Post Open Source World" but "no explicit license = 'all rights reserved'" (https://opensource.com/law/13/8/github-poss-licensing).
Without an OSI-Approved Open Source License, collaboration and contributions cannot even start because no one is actually permitted to access, use, copy, edit, redistribute the code. An open source license provides "permission first" (http://www.infoworld.com/article/2872094/open-source-software/seven-que…), and ensures the type of community you describe can form and grow.
Thanks,
Patrick
Well, I'm probably bias, but I love the term "open source" - shocker!
I think the term I get most frustrated with is "developer." Developer, within the software community is most commonly associated with software development, but development is actually quite commonly used in other sectors, and includes roles directly applicable to open source communities.
Want to help the project find new members and promote engagement...
Community Development: "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." - The United Nations (http://unterm.un.org/DGAACS/unterm.nsf/8fa942046ff7601c85256983007ca4d8…).
Are the folks working in your project/community working together as best as they can...
Organization development: "dedicated to expanding the knowledge and effectiveness of people to accomplish more successful organizational change and performance." - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_development)
Open source projects need money too...
Development (fund-raising): "the building, over time, of a continuous, powerful and life-long connection between a donor / philanthropist and the organization or cause we represent." - Campbell & Company (http://www.campbellcompany.com/news/bid/105288/Fundraising-vs-Developme…).
Think your project is just as good as proprietary options...
Brand Development: "the process of improving a brand or improving customers' knowledge and opinions of a brand" The Cambridge Dictionary (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/brand-development).
Looking to find commercial partners...
Business development: "the creation of long-term value for an organization from customers, markets, and relationships." - Forbes (http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottpollack/2012/03/21/what-exactly-is-bus…)
Want to help your programmers or users learn more about the project...
Training and development: " concerned with organizational activity aimed at bettering the performance of individuals and groups in organizational settings." - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training_and_development)
All of these roles play an important part in furthering the project and should be valued just as much as the valued work undertaken by those writing software. So I always try to recognizes and embrace *all* the developers who make open source software.
Thanks,
Patrick