Open Source Utopia

The Birth of a Community

Mathias Bolt Lesniak Episode 14

We’ve talked about the magic. Here’s an episode about the hard work that goes into creating an open source community.

Watch the video version on YouTube



This episode is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Created by: Mathias Bolt Lesniak
Creative advisor: Jeffrey A. “jam” McGuire

Welcome to episode fourteen …… of the Open Source Utopia Podcast. Yes, real magic does happen …… when software projects go open source, but that magic is no fluke. For the magic of open source to happen, there has to be a real wish for it. And it requires real work. Although some open source software projects …… do start off as a community initiative …… from the get-go, most of them do not. Instead, they start out with a developer …… scratching an often very personal itch, and solving some very specific problems.“Oh, I wish that was possible.”“Ah, I wish that was easier to do.” Anyway, these software projects …… will remain a solitary exercise, and not at all open source, unless and until the developer …… decides to make them public. But making it public is not enough, in order to reap the benefits …… of open source community contribution. An open source project will languish in obscurity …… if the developer doesn't put in an extra effort …… on top of the work that goes into the software's code. Fostering a community around a software project …… requires true parenting. It comes with joys, but also sleepless nights. Therefore, we should celebrate …… every open source project …… with a vibrant community. And help those that need some extra love and care. Remember that every project required a leap of faith …… in you and me, to be where they are today. The best thing you can do is join.