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ApacheCon Series: Sourcesense's CEO Weighs In On Open Development

The ApacheCon conference, which marked the 10th anniversary of the Apache Software Foundatoin, wrapped up a few days ago, and there were lots of highlights, including recognition from California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Oakland, California mayor Ron Dellums. In conjunction with the big event, we ran a series of guest posts from key players at the foundation, found here, here, and here. For our final guest post in the ApacheCon series, Gianugo Rabellino, CEO of Sourcesense (a leading open source integrator in Europe, and agile computing consultancy) weighs in on open development. Here it is, below the fold.

Open Development: Ensuring Your Software Won't Go To Pot

By Gianugo Rabellino, CEO, Sourcesense

Occasionally I am pulled into one of those endless debates between free software and open source advocates, and invariably I am asked which party I belong to. My favorite answer is “neither." As much as I have a strong bias toward the more pragmatic definition of open source, I still prefer to define myself as a fan of open development, a term that is gaining momentum and describes almost perfectly what communities like The Apache Software Foundation are really about.

Something I've learned over the years is that software distribution terms will only take you so far: Indeed, a license is important, but it’s also limited in scope. A license cannot tell you if the project will still be around in three months or three years, nor it is useful in understanding if your success hinges upon a one-man show, an evil corporation throwing baitware over the wall, or a thriving, neutral and diverse community. And it definitely doesn’t help in understanding whether your patches and enhancements are welcome, much less what kind of say you may ever have in the future of the project. The moment software actually matters to you—because your personal or professional life happens to be impacted by a computer program—then that kind of information becomes extremely important.

Open development aims to address all of this by focusing on the process rather than the outcome, or, as we say in the Apache arena, “community over code”. By providing an environment where communities can thrive, The Apache Software Foundation has, for the past ten years, powered the Internet with dependable software developed in strongly meritocratic fashion.

It's clear that there is no single secret sauce in successful software development, but The Apache Software Foundation stands out as one of the very few organizations on the Web where community-oriented development shines and thrives--setting an example. Every decision at Apache is driven by technical merit or, at least, has to be backed up by technical reasons why the community should care. This is not to say participants will never bring to the table their (hidden) political, marketing or business agendas: In fact, one of the strongest features of Apache is how we recognize, and cater to, commercial interests. Yes, you are free to bring your own agenda, but be prepared to back it up with great technical reasons why everyone should care, unless you really fancy being poked in the eye by a vigilant community.

Providing neutral ground is another key benefit of the process at The Apache Software Foundation. The non-profit nature of the foundation, the fact that membership cannot be bought (it is strictly limited to people being elected on their individual, private capacity), and the “brand name” of Apache, recognized as a trusted steward, contribute to many types of efficiencies. Also, nearly every humongous player in IT has contributed to Apache in one way or another.

Apache is where fierce competitors come to collaborate, and where the unimaginable can happen: Think of IBM using Apache Tomcat, a software product originally conceived of by Sun and donated to Apache, or Sun actually returning the favor by contributing to Apache Derby, the Java database which used to be known as IBM Cloudscape.

Software is a strange beast with a bad tendency to rot over time if not properly cared for; this is why at Apache we will go to the greatest lengths to ensure our software is backed by vibrant, diverse, neutral and meritocratic communities. We call it “the Apache Way."

Gianugo Rabellino is Chief Executive Officer of Sourcesense, Europe's leading Open Source systems integrator and agile computing consultancy. He has been at the forefront of the Open Source movement in Europe, founding the first official Italian Linux organization in 1994, and launching Orixo, the consortium of European Open Source companies. A Member of the Apache Software Foundation (ASF), Rabellino serves as Vice President of the Apache  XML  Project  Management Committee,  is  a committer  on   several  ASF projects, as well as mentor on various initiatives at the Apache Incubator Project. 

• Apache
• Apache Software Foundation
• ApacheCon
• Sourcesense

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