How to Run an Open Source Project by Sebastiaan Deckers

Who am I? Founder of Pandion instant messenger XMPP client for Windows Open source, soon GPL v3 2-4 million users Working at Directi on Chat.pw Based on Pandion Open source, GPL v3 Launching soon!

Founder of Pandion instant messenger

XMPP client for Windows

Open source, soon GPL v3

2-4 million users

Working at Directi on Chat.pw

Based on Pandion

Open source, GPL v3

Launching soon!

Goals of this Talk Starting a project Useful tools Mistakes to avoid Division of labour Gaining and handling users ??? Profit!

Starting a project

Useful tools

Mistakes to avoid

Division of labour

Gaining and handling users

???

Profit!

Getting Started Choose a name Remember Phoenix, Firebird, Firefox? Choose something that is available, easy to remember, pronounceable over the phone, … Acronyms are good, recursion better eg: GNU = Gnu’s Not Unix Choose a logo Humans remember visually

Choose a name

Remember Phoenix, Firebird, Firefox?

Choose something that is available, easy to remember, pronounceable over the phone, …

Acronyms are good, recursion better

eg: GNU = Gnu’s Not Unix

Choose a logo

Humans remember visually

Code and Content License Source Code Copyleft: GPL, LGPL Copyright: BSD, MIT/X11, Apache Content Logos, documentation, artwork, presentations, media, mailing lists, blog posts, … Creative Commons Licenses GNU Free Documentation License Contributions Transfer IP or scattered ownership

Source Code

Copyleft: GPL, LGPL

Copyright: BSD, MIT/X11, Apache

Content

Logos, documentation, artwork, presentations, media, mailing lists, blog posts, …

Creative Commons Licenses

GNU Free Documentation License

Contributions

Transfer IP or scattered ownership

Project Hosting Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Pro: Product demo, commercial projects Con: Productivity drain, attack/spam vector All-In-One Pro: No hassle, integrated suite Con: No flexibility, poor usability Loosely Coupled Mashup Pro: No hassle, specialised Con: Content islands

Do-It-Yourself (DIY)

Pro: Product demo, commercial projects

Con: Productivity drain, attack/spam vector

All-In-One

Pro: No hassle, integrated suite

Con: No flexibility, poor usability

Loosely Coupled Mashup

Pro: No hassle, specialised

Con: Content islands

Releases and PR Synchronised Releases Major releases follow fixed cycle with others Minor releases when needed by users Nightly builds for developers and testers PR 2.0 Wikipedia Blog Twitter Ohloh Community!

Synchronised Releases

Major releases follow fixed cycle with others

Minor releases when needed by users

Nightly builds for developers and testers

PR 2.0

Wikipedia

Blog

Twitter

Ohloh

Community!

Team Management Melting pot of experience and development styles Distributed location & time zone Co-developers fix bugs and improve architecture Code quality Specialist contributors, resilient manpower Easy come, easy go High motivation and passion Ad-hoc productivity Actual Strength Perceived Weakness

Team Management Lessons learned Document everything, publically log decisions Lower barriers to join the project or it gets forked Decentralised decisions Core leadership team Listen to your users Follow up, track progress, deadlines Have a project manager who cracks the whip If you build it, they will come Don’t wait for people to join. Just go for it.

Lessons learned

Document everything, publically log decisions

Lower barriers to join the project or it gets forked

Decentralised decisions

Core leadership team

Listen to your users

Follow up, track progress, deadlines

Have a project manager who cracks the whip

If you build it, they will come

Don’t wait for people to join. Just go for it.

User Community Problem: The better the product, the more users. The more users, the less time spent improving the product. Solutions: Self Service: documentation, wiki, discussion groups, chat rooms, etc. Empowerment: Expert users assist novice users. Filter and rank feedback so developers can concentrate on what matters.

Problem:

The better the product, the more users.

The more users, the less time spent improving the product.

Solutions:

Self Service: documentation, wiki, discussion groups, chat rooms, etc.

Empowerment: Expert users assist novice users.

Filter and rank feedback so developers can concentrate on what matters.

Is there Money in Free Software? Ways to monetise projects as a developer: Sell related service or product Advertising Get better job offers Consulting & paid support Beg for donations

Ways to monetise projects as a developer:

Sell related service or product

Advertising

Get better job offers

Consulting & paid support

Beg for donations

Project Foundations Single entity owns the project Why? Fixed representation of ever changing team Survival assurance to users Accountability Legal protection Hiring employees Receiving income

Single entity owns the project

Why?

Fixed representation of ever changing team

Survival assurance to users

Accountability

Legal protection

Hiring employees

Receiving income

EOF Questions? Contact Me [email_address] http://twitter.com/pandion http://blog.pandion.be/ Shameless Plugs http://www.pandion.be/ http://www.directi.com/ http://start.pw/ Thank you for your time!