Innersource applies open source principles to internal software development, promoting collaboration and code reuse among developers. Key components include defaulting to open repositories, enabling asynchronous communication, and fostering a culture of contributions through pull requests. This approach enhances productivity and innovation within organizations by encouraging a shared ownership of code and resources.

1. An Open Source community
behind your firewall -
improving developer
productivity with InnerSource
Christopher Harrison
Enterprise Advocate, GitHub
@GeekTrainer
August 2022

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What is InnerSource?

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•InnerSource is applying the learnings and methodologies from
Open Source to internal development
•InnerSource encourages developer contributions, promotes
sharing of resources, and enhances productivity
What is InnerSource? Why InnerSource?

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Let’s explore three key
components of InnerSource
Default to open repositories
Instant messaging does not mean instant replies
PR the change you want to see

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Default to open repositories

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Default to open repositories
Repositories scoped to a single
team are only accessible to a
single team, limiting contributions
and reuse
After all, it’s hard for the public to
contribute to a private repository
By making repositories open by
default you allow your developers
to discover useful packages and
solutions, reuse code, and
contribute to related projects
The Open Source approach
Naturally open and
public
A common problem
Private repositories are
inherently limiting
The InnerSource solution
Default to open
repositories

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Instant messaging does not mean instant replies

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Instant messaging does not mean instant replies
It takes a developer 23 minutes to
get back into the groove.
(2008 conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems)
With a diverse set of contributors
(geographically and otherwise),
working asynchronously reduces
blockers.
Default to asynchronous
communications. Automate tasks
to help developers stay in the
groove.
The Open Source approach
Development is
asynchronous
A common problem
Once the flow is gone,
it’s gone
The InnerSource solution
Reduce blockers and
work asynchronously

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PR the change you want to see

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PR the change you want to see
Different teams have different sets
of requirements and needs.
Allowing others to submit PRs
increases feature sets and
enhances reuse.
Public contributions are the
lifeblood of Open Source projects.
Many OSS projects have issue
flags to encourage new
contributors. Not all PRs are
merged.
Advance from filing an issue to
submitting a PR. Foster a culture
where PRs are commonplace. It’s
OK to not accept a PR.
The Open Source approach
Encourage
contributions
A common problem
Teams get tunnel
vision
The InnerSource solution
Everyone owns the
code

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We see innersource as a way to improve efficiency through
code reuse. But even beyond that, it's an amazing conduit
for learning and exchanging ideas and facilitating innovation
within IBM.
— Jeff Jagoda, Senior Software Engineer, IBM
InnerSource encourages
developers to be developers,
and to be better developers

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Learn more about InnerSource
https://resources.github.com/innersource/fundamentals/