The open source community, a linchpin of modern technological infrastructure, faces a crucial challenge: attracting younger developers. As the original architects of open source projects age, the need for fresh talent becomes increasingly pressing. Industry leaders like Daniel Stenberg, founder of curl, and Loris Degioanni, founder of key projects like Wireshark and Falco, encapsulate the pioneering spirit that propelled open source into the technological mainstream. However, as they and their contemporaries age, questions about succession and sustainability loom large.
Daniel Stenberg's contributions highlight the longevity and impact of open source innovations. Stenberg developed curl, an internet transfer engine released in 1996 that has since been downloaded billions of times. Despite its widespread use for transferring data to and from computer servers globally, Stenberg remains independent of large tech ecosystems.
“I'm much better off without being in their neighbourhoods and just running my own neighbourhood.” – Daniel Stenberg
Similarly, Loris Degioanni's journey illustrates the enduring influence of grassroots innovation. His initial contributions to an open source network analysis tool in 1999 paved the way for Wireshark, an industry staple for network troubleshooting and analysis. Wireshark's flexibility is enhanced by its use of plug-ins, allowing functionalities to be written in various programming languages. Degioanni’s cybersecurity firm, Sysdig, now sponsors Wireshark, ensuring its continued evolution.
“We're approaching the time when the founders of these early open source projects are starting to get old.” – Loris Degioanni
Degioanni's comment underscores a broader concern: the aging demographic of open source maintainers. Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux, echoed this sentiment at the Open Source Summit Europe in September, noting that kernel maintainers are also advancing in age. The Cloud Native Computing Foundation manages 208 projects with over 250,000 contributors, yet the community struggles to engage younger developers on a comparable scale.
“You've got a next generation who haven't engaged as a philanthropic community and volunteer community in the same way, at the same scale.” – Amanda Brock
Amanda Brock highlights a key issue: a generational gap in volunteerism and community engagement within open source. This gap threatens the sustainability of a movement that has historically countered the dominance of major tech corporations and driven innovation across industries.
A significant barrier to young developer involvement is the programming language landscape. Many foundational open source projects were written in C, a language dating back to the early 1970s. While powerful, C presents a steep learning curve that can deter newcomers.
“The fact that C is the main language makes it harder to attract a younger generation.” – Loris Degioanni
The debate between C and more modern languages like Rust has intensified within the community. Rust offers memory safety features absent in C, making it more appealing to new programmers. Linus Torvalds has endorsed Rust's integration into Linux, signaling a potential shift that could lower entry barriers for younger coders.
“The Rust versus C discussion has taken almost religious overtones in certain areas.”
Wireshark and Falco's reliance on plug-ins showcases how strategic adaptations can sustain open projects by embracing diverse programming languages. Such flexibility might be pivotal in making these projects accessible to new contributors.