https://www.opensourcestories.org/ The Open Source Stories project celebrates collaboration, communication, community and, more in open source by collecting narratives from creators, ors, and consumers alike. no en The content on Open Source Stories is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 julia ferraioli admin@opensourcestories.org Open Source Stories Hugo -- gohugo.io Dr. Kari Jordan from The Carpentries talks about her “aha moment” discovering open source and how teaching Zumba helps her create more welcoming tech communities. Discover the importance of succession planning in creating contribution pathways and the power of grassroots to help keep you going, because open source work is too important to stop. Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Kari_L_Jordan.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2025/just-keep-moving-kari-l-jordan/ no Just keep moving - building inclusive pathways in open source with Dr. Kari L. Jordan Ever wonder if you’re the only one who feels like open source is a mystery? Julia Silge shares how she went from thinking it was just ‘some person alone in a room’ to realizing it’s a whole world of collaboration and community! Plus, find out why being wrong on the internet isn’t so bad after all. Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Julia_Silge.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2025/how-we-show-up-julia-silge/ no How we show up in open source with Julia Silge Dive into a whimsical view of open source with Erin McKean as she examines it through the lens of Taylor Swift’s Eras. From the ‘Inventor Era’ to the ‘Responsibility Era,’ Erin explores how the focus of open source has changed over time. Discover why you need napkins and what ‘fully automated luxury space communism’ might have to do with it all! Tue, 17 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Erin_McKean.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2024/open-source-eras-erin-mckean/ no The Open Source Eras Tour with Erin McKean Hadley Wickham takes Tracy Teal through the evolution of the tidyverse, starting with a box of rocks all the way through to a thriving community of data scientists. Join them on the Open Source Story of the tidyverse! Mon, 16 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Hadley_Wickham_on_the_tidyverse.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2024/hadley-wickham-tidyverse/ no Focus and feedback in the tidyverse Open source lets you create the experiences you want– whether it be with technology, community, or your lasting impact on the world. In his Open Source Story, Rich Bowen reflects on some of the ways in which open source has opened doors to meet those who have inspired him as well as how he thinks about opening doors for others. Mon, 21 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Rich_Bowen_on_bringing_up_the_next_generation.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2024/rich-bowen-leadership/ no The power of invitation and responsibility of leadership In this conversation between Andy Piper and amanda casari, Andy talks about their work in open source communities, specifically highlighting how communities differ, have different needs, and how these needs change and evolve over time. Additionally the discussion covers the “non-glamourous” work that needs to be done, and how difficult it can be to know what sort of help to ask for as a project. Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Andy_Piper_on_Community.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2024/andy-piper-community-needs/ no Changing communities have changing needs with Andy Piper Carol Willing, a veteran programmer with a passion for making technology accessible, shares her journey from mainframe computers to the world of Python and Jupyter Notebooks. She emphasizes the importance of generalist skills, critical thinking, and building up the next generation of engineers. Sat, 18 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Carol_Willing_at_PyCon.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2024/carol-willing-why-we-code/ no "Why do we code?" and other musings with Carol Willing In a conversation looking at multiple meanings of open source governance and project health, Shauna Gordon-McKeon shares with Open Source Stories views of how investing in project culture can build virtuous cycles of inclusion and contribution. From reducing the number of roles that a maintainer might have to fill to lowering the barriers for user participation, this conversation looks to build from crisis management in 2017 to continuing improvements into the future with the ways open source projects get done. Thu, 26 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Shauna_Gordon-McKeon.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2023/shauna-gordon-mckeon-governance/ no Rethinking the meaning of governance with Shauna Gordon-McKeon Why should open source have all the fun? Clare Dillon shares her experience in the wonderful world of innersource, the application of open source practices within organizations. Collaboration is just too exciting not to share! Thu, 05 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Clare_Dillon_on_Open_Source_Stories.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2023/clare-dillon-innersource/ no The power and joy in collaboration with Clare Dillon From selling stickers to creating one of the most popular projects on GitHub, Robby Russell looks back at the inception and unexpected rise of Oh My Zsh. Usefulness, creativity, and a good onboarding experience are key ingredients in this recipe. Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Robby_Russell_on_Oh_My_Zsh.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2023/robby-russell-ohmyzsh/ no Robby Russell and the happy little accidental success of Oh My Zsh Measuring community health reveals challenges people experience in contributing. Anita Ihuman explains how to build awareness and leverage existing solutions for greater belonging in open source. What you measure, you can see and change! Tue, 25 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Anita_Ihuman_and_community_health.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2023/community-health-and-belonging/ no Community health and belonging with Anita Ihuman What changes when the projects you maintain are cornerstones of security? Filippo Valsorda elaborates on his experience as a cryptographer, his work in Go, and how his approach to maintainership might be a bit different from the average maintainer. Tue, 16 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Filippo_Valsorda_on_being_a_maintainer_for_security-focused_open_source_projects.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2023/peculiarities-security-maintainership/ no The peculiarities of security maintainership with Filippo Valsorda How does one pick up the maintainership baton? Turns out that you can ask for it! Jessica Tegner tells the story of how she went from contributing to pypandoc to being the maintainer of it, and of the pressures that come from maintaining a widely used project. Fri, 12 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Jessica_Tegner_on_Open_Source_Stories.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2023/journey-to-maintainership/ no The journey to becoming a maintainer with Jessica Tegner Open source is people and people are open source. Duane O’Brien talks about what he’s learned about supporting, connecting with, and caring for the critical human infrastructure of open source. Tue, 09 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Duane_O_Brien_on_critical_human_infrastructure.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2023/critical-human-infrastructure/ no The critical human infrastructure of open source with Duane O’Brien If you find yourself curious about what’s running your software, then you’re in good company! Many Makers before you have cultivated our current open hardware opportunities to make it easier to start. Python Software Foundation Fellow Thea Flowers invites us to think beyond open source software to the vibrant community of open hardware. Bodge your way to greatness! In this episode, explore the right to repair, mid-scale manufacturing, and vinyl for video game soundtracks. Join Open Source Stories in finding your people. Wed, 22 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Thea_Flowers_on_Open_Source_Hardware.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2023/thea-flowers/ no Open Hardware and Finding Your People with Thea Flowers Free and open source software is, or can be, a public good. But, VM Brasseur finds that for some, it may have gotten disconnected from its open culture roots. In this open source story, VM talks about motivations behind FOSS, how they have shifted, and how those who work in free and open source software can help recenter principles of openness. Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/VM_Brasseur_on_free_and_open_source_ecosystems_and_culture.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2023/vm-brasseur/ yes VM Brasseur on free and open source ecosystems and culture Open source, the public domain, and various freedoms take center stage in the story behind Standard Ebooks. Learn about Standard Ebooks, a project founded by Alex Cabal to solve one particular problem, and how it brought together contributors with diverse sets of talents to make public domain literature works of art. Thu, 26 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Alex_Cabal_on_Standard_Ebooks.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2023/alex-cabal/ no Alex Cabal and the Standard Ebooks "saga" John Minnihan walks through the creation of Freepository, the first hosted source control service, how it paved the way for lowering the barrier to participation in open source, and evolution of version control systems. Mon, 26 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/John_Minnihan_and_the_genesis_of_hosted_source_control.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2022/john-minnihan/ no John Minnihan and the genesis of hosted source control When you focus more on connections than commit-ments in open source, what do you say yes to? Richard talks about open source as an evolving collective and commons unbounded by strict definitions, working in the open with creativity and joy, and the practices which allow him to sustain himself as a collaborator. Thu, 09 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Richard_Littauer_talks_about_birds_hats_and_commitsment.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2022/richard-littauer/ no Richard Littauer talks about birds, hats, and commitments What is open source design? Eriol dives into how designers contribute to open source, resources for designers looking to contribute to open source, and how incorporating design work into open source projects benefits the contributors and community using it. Sun, 05 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Eriol_Fox_on_open_source_design.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2022/eriol-fox/ no Eriol Fox on open source design How do we incorporate ethics into open source and software development at large? Dawn Wages describes some of the ways that she embraces ethical open source engineering, including exploring her guiding principles around how she makes technology decisions. Learn about how she works to bring anti-racist practices to the open source ecosystem. Thu, 21 Apr 2022 13:00:00 -0700 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Dawn_Wages_on_being_an_ethical_open_source_engineer.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2022/dawn-wages/ no Dawn Wages on being an ethical open source engineer Emma Irwin explores a nuanced view of open source maintainership in today’s landscape, digging into what characteristics good maintainers cultivate, what role mentoring plays in maintainership, and how history influences who becomes a maintainer. Wed, 20 Apr 2022 13:25:00 -0700 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Emma_Irwin_and_open_source_maintainership.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2022/emma-irwin/ no Emma Irwin and open source maintainership Nic Steenhout recounts how barriers to access led him to getting involved in the open source community, reflects on challenges that accessibility advocates face in the ecosystem, and gives some advice to projects on how to prove their commitment to accessibility. Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Nicolas_Steenhout_explores_the_intersection_of_accessibility_and_open_source.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2022/nicolas-steenhout/ no Nicolas Steenhout explores the intersection of accessibility and open source Elana Hashman recounts her first contribution to open source, the ecosystem’s potential, how norms have changed over the years, and what keeps her involved and contributing. Thu, 18 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Elana_Hashman_on_the_evolution_of_open_source.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2021/elana-hashman/ no Elana Hashman on the evolution of open source Samson talks with amanda about his lifelong journey in open source, why growing a culture of sharing is so important, and how his early experiences influenced where and how he has directed his energy into re-centering the nexus of open source. Sat, 23 Oct 2021 09:27:22 -0500 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Samson_Goddy_on_the_power_of_centering_open_source_on_community_needs.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2021/samson-goddy/ no Samson Goddy on the power of centering open source on community needs Joe Beda shares with julia and amanda about his multigenerational family history with computers, his changing experience with open source since submitting the first commit to Kubernetes, and how the future of open source contains both "danger and opportunity". Thu, 21 Oct 2021 19:11:04 -0500 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Joe_Beda_on_open_source_as_a_positive_sum_game.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2021/joe-beda/ no Joe Beda on open source as a positive sum game Josh Simmons spends some time with Open Source Stories discussing the finer points of navigating open source dynamics, reflecting on the adoption of codes of conduct, and progress made towards increasing representation. Josh also coins the best tagline for open source. Tue, 19 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Josh_Simmons_and_open_source_diplomacy.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2021/josh-simmons/ no Josh Simmons and open source diplomacy Aaron Patterson talks with julia and amanda about installing Linux for the first time, the story behind first patch, initial hesitancy around forking, and shares some advice for fellow programmers. Features plenty of bad puns from everyone. Thu, 14 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Aaron_Patterson_on_open_source_game_changers.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2021/aaron-patterson/ no Aaron Patterson on open source game changers Russell Keith-Magee connects with Open Source Stories to talk about his earliest memories of technology, recount how he got involved with the Django ecosystem, and share his thoughts on open source contractualism. Tue, 05 Oct 2021 19:07:35 -0700 https://media.blubrry.com/1466155/content.blubrry.com/1466155/Russell_Keith-Magee_s_journey_to_open_source.mp3 https://www.opensourcestories.org/stories/2021/russell-keith-magee/ no Russell Keith-Magee's journey to open source