Software as a public good
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Open source software has come a long way since its beginnings as a niche project of technical experts. Recent studies have shown that open source software can be found in 96% of codebasesand its demand-side value to the economy is estimated at $8.8 trillion. The open model of collaboration makes it easier for governments, businesses, nonprofits and individuals to work together for the common good. Still, you don’t have to be an idealist to rely on open source: the ubiquity of the technology speaks for itself.
While many critical open source projects are maintained by developers as part of their work, many parts of the open source ecosystem are underfunded and only receive enough attention when a potentially catastrophic vulnerability is discovered everyone few Years. As with physical infrastructure, we should not limit ourselves to funding it once a bridge collapses. GitHub helps to better understand strengths and weaknesses in the financing landscape conduct research with the Linux Foundation and Harvard Business School on how organizations support open source. GitHub wouldn’t exist without open source and we’re committed to doing our part to close the open source sustainability gap. It is encouraging to see more and more public institutions doing the same.
Open source is at the heart of the UN
This change in public sector attitudes was evident in the OSPOs for Good summit In July, hundreds of open source enthusiasts flocked to the United Nations headquarters in New York City to discuss what open source can do for global development and what the world’s nations can do for open source. Our very own Demetris Cheatham shared how joining open source communities was crucial to her computer science education and later inspired her work promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at GitHub. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) reflected on its work on this Strengthening the security of open source softwareGermany unveiled its Sovereign Tech Fund, which invests $20 million a year in maintaining essential open source technologies such as: curl, PHP or Log4J. France presented its community of open source champions in public administrations Les Blue Hats.
The United Nations’ commitment to open source does not end with hosting a conference. The goal is for governments to take over Global digital compact at Summit of the Future later this month. One of the key commitments of the Global Digital Compact is to increase funding for digital public goods (DPGs), that is, open source software, open standards, open data, open AI systems and open content collections that respect data protection and others comply with applicable laws and best practices, do no harm and help to achieve this Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Public and private sectors work together
About 80% of DPGs live on GitHub. To help developers get in touch with these projects, we created this For Good first edition Here, developers can easily find and contribute to open source projects that support the SDGs. If you want to lend your skills to an open source project focused on a public good, this is a great place to collaborate with public sector-led open source projects without having to be a policy geek .
We believe industry and government can work together to also find solutions to the sustainability challenge of open source maintenance. Through GitHub SponsorsWe provide the infrastructure that makes it easier for organizations to invest in the open source projects they depend on. To date, this has resulted in over $40 million in funding. GitHub is a sponsor of the Open Technology Fund FOSS sustainability fundwhich combines public and private funding to support the long-term maintenance of open source projects. Through GitHub AcceleratorWe provide resources and mentorship to help open source projects become financially sustainable. Through GitHub FundsWe invest in the next generation of open source entrepreneurs, providing capital, connections, access and benefits to help open source companies grow. Last but not least, we support open source maintainers with free product offerings, such as: GitHub Copilotand community, like Carer community.
We hope that the United Nations’ efforts to convince governments of the value of open source will lead to the creation of many more initiatives such as the US Open Technology Fund or the German Sovereign Tech Fund. Advocacy for such a programs and highlight their positive impact is a pillar of ours Developer policy work. Whenever the budget for such a fund is available is cutmany new ones have to take their place.
Better yet, by treating open source software as a public good, funding its maintenance should become a central part of industry and government spending.
Would you like to lend your skills to an open source project that focuses on the public good? Checkout For Good first edition.
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