How to evaluate whether a project should be open source (and avoid early mistakes)

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Many open source projects fail before they ever get meaningful adoption, not because the code is bad, but because the decision to open source was never properly thought through.

Before publishing the first line of code, there are a few basic questions that can prevent most early mistakes:

  • Does the project have a proper open source license?

  • Is all of the code and documentation accessible?

  • Is the goal monetization, or adoption and innovation?

I’ve seen too many projects open sourced with good intentions, only to end up in a strange limbo: partially open, unclear ownership, unanswered issues, and frustrated users.

I wrote a longer post walking through:

  • common (and avoidable) traps

  • simple vs strategic reasons to open source

  • real examples from projects like Monaco, Keptn, and OpenFeature

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Full post: David Peter Hirsch | Community Ecosystem Senior Manager

Question for discussion:
If you’re honest with yourself right now, what’s the hardest part of open sourcing a project for you?

  • choosing a license

  • defining intent (business vs community)

  • documentation

  • resourcing & ownership

  • something else?

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