Open Source The Apache Way

The second FOSS Hackathon by EU FOSSA 2 was a good opportunity for outside observers to get a sense of how Open Source works “The Apache Way”.

Many Apache Project Management Committee members from different projects were part of the event and showed attendees not part of any Apache community how projects are working at the Apache Software Foundation. Just a week after the 20 year anniversary of the Apache Software Foundation the Hackathon was an opportunity for some attendees to see how an Open Source community works for the first time. A few members from European institutions got the chance to talk directly to the people involved in the Open Source community which should be a good start for understanding better how to support Open Source projects in the future.

The Apache Way is all about community. Decisions are made together and take place in public. Members of the community decide the direction of the projects. The contributors work with their values and rules that have evolved over time and formed the ASF culture.

It can be hard to understand how and why Open Source and Apache works from the outside. When you start talking to Apache contributors and work with them, even if it is not producing code, you start to get a feeling of why it is successful and important.