FeatherCast

Going back well before the ASF was formed, community has played a vital role in the development of open source software. With the formation of the ASF, we see a great example of open source community being formalized and actively facilitated. Although it can seem counterintuitive, especially to the uninitiated, placing ‘Community over code’ helps ensure the ongoing relevance of open source as a movement, inviting individuals and organizations alike to invest in ‘free’ software. The community participation statistics across the ASF are impressive and highly convincing.nThe results of this community participation include personal growth, an ever evolving and strengthening Apache project, as well as a strong foundation for commercial business development.n- Brief historyn- ASF stats overviewn- What ‘Community over code’ means to various Apache community members At the individual project level, Apache OFBiz has benefitted from hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours (over 75,000 from one application development company alone) over the past 13 years, and relies on numerous other Apache projects. The presenter will share examples of one service provider’s approach to making community contributions, including those of individuals as well as company-wide initiatives that have worked well over the years.