Submission + - New Code of Conduct Takes On OSS Free-Riders With 'Name and Shame' (github.com)
shibatch writes: I am the maintainer of the SLEEF project, where we have been developing SIMD implementations of libm for many years. Our work is used at the core of many commercial and non-commercial projects that you likely use every day.
Despite this, the reality is that our project has had absolutely no sponsors for the past several years. This isn't a problem unique to us. Many open-source software (OSS) projects are barely sustained by the goodwill and self-sacrifice of their maintainers, all within a culture where it's taken for granted that OSS is free to use.
However, OSS is no longer just a personal hobby; it is critical infrastructure that supports our society. If the maintenance of this infrastructure falters, it leads to unpatched security vulnerabilities and stalled development, which ultimately bounces back as a serious risk to all users of OSS—especially the companies that profit from its commercial use. I firmly believe that establishing a system where fair compensation is paid for the maintenance of OSS projects is in the public interest of the entire tech ecosystem.
To start changing this 'OSS is free' culture, as an experiment, I have written a new code of conduct, the "Community Guidelines for Sustainability of the Open-Source Ecosystem," and have adopted it in my own SLEEF project.
The most significant feature of this code of conduct is that it doesn't add new, legally binding rules through a license. Instead, it utilizes a social mechanism: the 'Name and Shame' approach. The goal is to make visible the companies that derive significant profit from the project's work yet neglect to contribute to the community, thereby encouraging voluntary contributions through social pressure.
I would be grateful to discuss with all of you whether this approach can be a viable solution to the OSS sustainability problem. Please take a look at the full code of conduct and the video explaining its philosophy, and let me know your thoughts.
Code of Conduct (Community Guidelines for Sustainability of the Open-Source Ecosystem):
https://github.com/shibatch/no...
Explanatory Video:
https://youtu.be/35zFfdCuBII
The SLEEF Project:
https://sleef.org/
Despite this, the reality is that our project has had absolutely no sponsors for the past several years. This isn't a problem unique to us. Many open-source software (OSS) projects are barely sustained by the goodwill and self-sacrifice of their maintainers, all within a culture where it's taken for granted that OSS is free to use.
However, OSS is no longer just a personal hobby; it is critical infrastructure that supports our society. If the maintenance of this infrastructure falters, it leads to unpatched security vulnerabilities and stalled development, which ultimately bounces back as a serious risk to all users of OSS—especially the companies that profit from its commercial use. I firmly believe that establishing a system where fair compensation is paid for the maintenance of OSS projects is in the public interest of the entire tech ecosystem.
To start changing this 'OSS is free' culture, as an experiment, I have written a new code of conduct, the "Community Guidelines for Sustainability of the Open-Source Ecosystem," and have adopted it in my own SLEEF project.
The most significant feature of this code of conduct is that it doesn't add new, legally binding rules through a license. Instead, it utilizes a social mechanism: the 'Name and Shame' approach. The goal is to make visible the companies that derive significant profit from the project's work yet neglect to contribute to the community, thereby encouraging voluntary contributions through social pressure.
I would be grateful to discuss with all of you whether this approach can be a viable solution to the OSS sustainability problem. Please take a look at the full code of conduct and the video explaining its philosophy, and let me know your thoughts.
Code of Conduct (Community Guidelines for Sustainability of the Open-Source Ecosystem):
https://github.com/shibatch/no...
Explanatory Video:
https://youtu.be/35zFfdCuBII
The SLEEF Project:
https://sleef.org/
