How To Do Open-Source Development

Doing open-source requires transparency and openness, and this extends to other users too. If art is a reckless encounter with whatever comes along, so is a successful open-source project. It is needed to give up some control and be willing to accept the direction the community takes the project because that is likely to be the direction where success lies. This chapter highlights the major activities needed to do an open-source project and discusses the process of creating a new release. The new jobs that need to be done are noted. To have a successful open-source project requires that there be people to do those jobs, so additional resources will be need. The chapter also discusses participating in an existing open-source project and using an open-source-like process, corporate source, within the company. Another important point to keep in mind as one reads on is that although most of the focus in this chapter is on developers, users are also a big part of the process. It is important to keep users involved in the process and not treat them as second-class citizens.