Growing Open Source Seeds
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Facebook SDK for python

- stopped getting updates
- broke completely, bad press, for a while deleted issue tracker (now fixed)

This is not open source, it is *public source*

- slap an open source license on the code and throw it over the wall
- abandoned due to lack of interest etc

other end of spectrum

- gittip
- open source to the extreme - everything open
- github issue for everything
- major decisions voted for on github
- interviews with journalists are live streamed
- all formal discussions with other companies are publicly documented and shared

    "I'm not building gittip, I'm building the community that is building gittip"

call these "Shared Investment Projects"

- shared ownership
- extreme transparency
- new contributors get involved by following a documented process
- low risk - high bus-factor
- see also: python, django, firefox, jquery ...

Requests - http for human

- one of most installed PyPi packages
- zero of project's decisions made by community - all made by "me"

Dictatorship Projects

- bdfl owns all
- dictator responsible for all decisions
- community feedback encouraged, but no expectation it will be followed
- allows for quick decisions and iterations
- bus factor, burnout risk, BDFL lose sight -> project ruined

lessons

- be cordial or be on your way
- open source provides opportunity for trifecta of purpose, mastery and autonomy
- learn to do less - trusted people who help out
- learn to say no - people will ask for crazy features
- accept as few lines of code as possible - less code is good