Open Source Maintainers: Exploring the People, Practices, and Constraints Facing the World's Most Critical Open Source Software Projects

The software that powers so much of our technology infrastructure would not be possible without the individuals who maintain them. To understand more about this group of individuals, how maintainers become maintainers, and to capture their experiences, observations, and success stories, the Linux Foundation interviewed some of the community’s most influential maintainers. In this research project, interviewees shared their best practices to balance the growth of a healthy software community with their own lives. Forty-one practices were collected throughout the interviews, including using inclusive language, providing radical transparency, prioritizing and formalizing documentation processes, ensuring there are regular funding sources, and pairing mentoring with diversity efforts. Read the report for the full list of best practices!