How to make Open Source more sustainable?

Makers of a sustainable future

Makers of a sustainable future

How to make Open Source more sustainable?

Alexander Vassbotn Røyne-Helgesen

Principal Engineer

ex-Vikinghorde

Hockey dad

Not a fan of Oilers

lover of life,
technologist at heart

How to make Open Source more sustainable?

The fundamental act of friendship among programmers is the sharing of programs

module.exports = leftpad;
function leftpad (str, len, ch) {
  str = String(str);
  var i = -1;
  if (!ch && ch !== 0) ch = ' ';
  len = len - str.length;
  while (++i < len) {
    str = ch + str;
  }
  return str;
}
  1. How can we secure funding for open source projects?
    • How can we ensure that open source developers are fairly compensated for their contributions?
    • How can we measure the value of open source contributions?
  2. How can we encourage more people to contribute to open source projects?
  3. How can we balance the need for financial sustainability with the principles of open source?
    • How can we ensure that open source projects are inclusive and accessible to all?

The solution?

How can we secure funding for open source projects?

  1. Developing a model for compensating open source developers.

  2. Securing reliable funding sources for open source projects.

  3. Measuring the value of open source contributions.

How can we encourage more people to contribute to open source projects?

  1. Encouraging more people to contribute to open source projects by creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.

How can we ensure that open source projects are inclusive and accessible to all?

How can we balance the need for financial sustainability with the principles of open source?

  1. Balancing the need for financial sustainability with the principles of open source

It's important for open source projects to have sustainable funding and support, as well as clear governance and maintenance policies, to minimize the risk of discontinuation.

Is Open Source a part of making a sustainable future?

  1. Open by default: Making Open Source the standard approach for projects
  2. Contribute back: Encouraging active participation in the Open Source ecosystem
  3. Secure by design: Making security a priority in all software projects
  4. Foster inclusive participation and community building: Enabling and facilitating diverse and inclusive contributions
  1. Design for reusability: Designing projects to be interoperable across various platforms and ecosystems
  2. Provide documentation: Providing thorough documentation for end-users, integrators and developers
  3. RISE (recognize, incentivize, support and empower): Empowering individuals and communities to actively participate
  4. Sustain and scale: Supporting the development of solutions that meet the evolving needs of the UN system and beyond.

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Makers of a sustainable future

Makers of a sustainable future

Alexander
Vassbotn
Røyne-Helgesen

NDC2025: How to make Open Source more sustainable?

By Alexander Vassbotn Røyne-Helgesen

NDC2025: How to make Open Source more sustainable?

Open Source projects are more and more often victims of their own success. Those responsible for the packages end up spending thousands of hours a year maintaining and supporting packages that have somehow gotten into the global infrastructure we use to build our products and services. Absolutely free, and usually only with outrage as the open source world's salary. It is not sustainable. Not in the long run. This is a massive challenge, across both companies and national borders. We as developers are definitely in a position where we can contribute, but what is really the right way to do it? How can we ensure the Open Source culture with contributions? How can we make it sustainable? These are questions I will try to answer!

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