Have you launched an open source project or are you considering doing so? Making a success of your project can involve everything from evaluating licenses to community outreach. The good news is that there are many free resources that can help you advance and protect your project.
A recent webinar called “Best Practices for Starting an Open Source Project” focused on this topic. Hosted by Capital One, the online event featured Mike Dolan, VP of Strategic Programs at The Linux Foundation, as well as Scott Nicholas, who is Senior Director in the same department and assists in the execution of The Linux Foundation’s annual Legal Summit and other legal programs.
Dolan and Nicholas noted that much of the work in launching a project involves community focus, and they provided advice on key considerations for a project launch including:
- How you want your community of developers to build and evolve code
- Setting up a decision-making model
- Understanding licenses, charter documents, and policies
- Creating a usage policy and trademark that fits your code and concept
Dolan and Nicholas both have extensive experience in launching and supporting open source projects. They noted during the webinar that The Linux Foundation has trained more than 800,000 people on open source technologies, and provided the following slide detailing open source milestones: