The global open source community is hard at work on something entirely new, signaling a major upcoming transition for the long-running publication Opensource.com. Regular visitors to the site may have noticed a noticeable quietness on the platform lately, a lull that stems directly from preparations for a fresh project currently in the works behind the scenes. While specific operational details and final feature sets remain under wraps for the moment, organizers emphasize that there is already plenty to discuss regarding the future of the platform and the broader movement it represents—a conversation best started by looking at the very fabric of the internet itself.
The internet, and top-level domains
To understand where the community is heading, it helps to examine where the digital world began. The internet is, fundamentally, a network, which by definition is a group of interconnected connections. In fact, the very word "internet" is a portmanteau combining "interconnected" and "network." Originally, the digital landscape consisted of just two primary networks: a military network and an academic network. As digital technology evolved and the internet expanded in popularity far beyond those initial specialized groups, it quickly became apparent that different designations were necessary to help users navigate the digital space.
Society needed clear ways to differentiate a commercial entity from a charitable organization, a university from a governmental department. These structural designations are known as top-level domains, commonly abbreviated as TLDs. While a vast array of TLD extensions are available across the modern web today, for a long time there were only a handful. Those original TLDs remain exceptionally popular and form the navigational bedrock of the web. Most internet users intuitively understand that when browsing to a .com address, they are visiting a commercial site, whereas visiting a .org address typically points toward a non-profit organization dedicated to a specific mission or cause.
Open source is a network
Just as the internet relies on interconnection, open source can embody many different forms and functions. It can be commercial, non-profit, academic, or cultural. No matter what specific form it ultimately takes, however, open source is always a network. Sometimes, though certainly not always, it functions as a literal network of computers and servers sharing code repositories and infrastructure. Most importantly, however, it is a network of people. Whether individuals are gathering in person at a massive international conference, chatting casually at a local pub, or collaborating continuously in an online chat room, the heartbeat of open source is its vibrant community of human beings.
For the past twelve years, the website Opensource.com has enjoyed the dedicated support of a commercial entity. That institutional backing has allowed the platform to grow, share countless stories, and chronicle the evolution of collaborative software and culture. Yet the people—the individuals making up the writers, readers, contributors, and maintainers of the Opensource.com community—are not commercial entities themselves. They are people.
Now, after more than a decade of publication under its current structural model, change is on the horizon. In exactly one month, Opensource.com is set to resolve that lingering structural gap and usher in a new chapter. Community members and supporters are advised to stay tuned as further announcements regarding the upcoming project are brought to light.
