On Aug. 20, GitHub launched the ReadME Project a new series of web pages “to amplify the voices of open source software” — promising to bring the stories of the people who create it.

It’s an attempt to provide a window into the culture that’s underlying much of the software being made today. “Coding is usually seen as a solitary activity, but it’s actually the world’s largest community effort,” the site explains, “led by a small group of open source maintainers, contributors, and teams.

“These unsung heroes put in long hours to build software, fix issues, field questions, and manage communities, often without funding or recognition. The ratio of consumers to maintainers can be as unbalanced as 2,000 to 1.”

While those maintainers and developers may be intimately familiar with the challenges and rewards they’re experiencing, “they often go unseen by others,” wrote GitHub’s senior developer advocate Brian Douglas in a blog post introducing the site. “We read a lot about the preeminence of software, less so about the communities of people pouring their efforts and passions into it.”

But it’s becoming an increasingly important topic if you want to understand the new future that’s being built today, the blog post argues. “Open source powers software on a planetary scale: 99% of code is built on it.”

Drawing a Reaction

They’ve now profiled nine different developers from around the world — from New York to Nigeria, as well as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Kenya, and China.

“Every day, I take at least five to 15 minutes for open source,” writes California-based developer Jordan Harband. “To me, it’s more like meditation than work… I made commits on my wedding day and on the days both of my children were born, and I was still fully present for all three of those events. My commits were simply part of my daily routine.”

Harband is part of the committee that writes the specification for JavaScript (as well as being involved in the community around Node.js.) “I recognize and cherish the ownership and responsibility I carry within the open source community,” he writes, “where a little negativity or positivity can go a long way.” His advice for new maintainers? “Be courteous with everyone you interact with…” (And of course, document everything thoughtfully…)

#culture #development #open source #github