Navigating the Incubator at the Apache Software Foundation

Navigating the Incubator at the Apache Software Foundation Brett Porter

Navigating the Incubator at the Apache Software Foundation

Brett Porter


Navigating the Incubator• The ASF in 3 slides

• Why Apache?

• What is incubation all about

• Getting started

• Incubating

• Graduation, and the alternatives

• Examples


Introduction• Member and Director of the ASF

• Committer, PMC member at Apache Maven, Archiva, Continuum, NPanday, Infrastructure, others

• Podling mentor - Apache CloudStack, OpenEJB, Directory

• CTO, MaestroDev

• DevOps Orchestration engine

• Apache Maven 2: Effective Implementation

• Better Builds with Maven


The ASF in 3 Slides

• Began as Apache Group in 1996

• Incorporated as the ASF in 1999

• Independent US non-profit - 501(c)3

• Volunteer organisation

• Member-based corporation - individuals

• Funded through sponsorship program


The ASF in 3 Slides• > 100 projects

• > 3200 committers

• > 1500 PMC members

• 432 Members

• Officers: operations + PMC chairs

• 9 directors elected by Members

PMC Member

Committer

Contributor

User

Members

Officers / Committees

Board

Projects:Community and Technical

Foundation:Organisational

Executive Officers


The ASF in 3 Slides

• Provide open source software to the public free of charge

• Provide infrastructure and resources

• Independent legal entity

• Protect brand

http://www.slideshare.net/jimjag/code-community-and-open-source




Why Apache?• Collaborative software development under the

Apache License

• Neutral ground for competitors to collaborate

• Lots of support

• Opportunities for cross-project collaboration

• Be part of a wider community

• ... but not right for every project


What makes a successful Apache project?

• Many shapes and sizes

• Many different ways of doing development

• One common attitude to the approach


What is the Incubator?

• Help existing projects join the Foundation

• Ensure all donations meet ASF legal standards

• Ensure they are compatible with ASF model of collaborative development

http://www.apache.org/licenses/





Becoming an Apache project is a process, not

just a decision-- Bertrand Delacrétaz

http://grep.codeconsult.ch/2011/06/01/becoming-an-apache-project-is-a-process-not-just-a-decision/










Incubation is not for building projects


Getting started

• Roles

• Proposal & Vote

• Infrastructure

• IP clearance


Roles

• Champion

• Mentor

• Incubator PMC

• Podling PMC (PPMC)

• Sponsoring project


Proposal

• More than a template - what is the project fit?

• Check the name you want to use is allowed!

• Improve it on the list

• Start a vote


Infrastructure

• Mailing lists

• Code repository and import

• Issue tracking and import, etc.

• Have a strategy in mind, and work it out on your new lists!


IP clearance

• Get it out of the way early!

• Use the status file as a guide


Incubating

• Community building

• Reports

• Releases

• Procedures


Community Building

• The most important part!

• ...but there is no “one size fits all” solution

• Make sure there are avenues of participation

• Be inclusive


Reports

• Quarterly reports, in the same way as top level projects

• Help Incubator PMC and Board understand current state of the podling

• Keep the status page up to date!


Releases

• Incubator releases get the best review

• Release early and often

• Apache only releases source code


Other procedures

• Use the documentation, but don’t obsess over it

• Borrow from other podlings


Graduating

• Don't get too comfortable

• Plan to graduate, don't wait for it to happen

• Be comfortable with your development and release process


Graduation: How It Works

• Community discussion or vote

• Incubator vote

• Board resolution


What if it doesn't work out?

• Some fail to graduate

• Always “retired”

• Source code still available if it cleared IP

• Can be rebooted - inside or outside ASF


Examples

• Subversion

• OpenEJB

• Heraldry

• Log4PHP


Why does this matter?

• Resources for developers of projects

• Legal

• Brand

• Infrastructure

• Community


Why does this matter?

• Assurance for users of projects

• Know what you are getting from a project

• Places to look for more information


Summary

• Many types of projects can come to Apache

• Every new Apache project must survive incubation

• Incubation goes through phases

• Addresses stuff that matters to open source projects


More information...

• http://incubator.apache.org/

• http://www.slideshare.net/jimjag/code-community-and-open-source

• http://www.slideshare.net/jukka/open-source-masterclass-life-in-the-apache-incubator

http://incubator.apache.org

http://incubator.apache.org





http://www.slideshare.net/jukka/open-source-masterclass-life-in-the-apache-incubator








Incubation is for building community for

a project


The Incubator is just the beginning


Over to You!

[email protected] @brettporter

http://www.slideshare.net/brettporter/

mailto:[email protected]






Navigating the Incubator at the Apache Software Foundation

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