How do you know when the time has come to retire an open source project, and what should you do about it?"
| Resource information | Details |
|---|---|
| Article Title | Dos and don’ts when sunsetting open source projects |
| Author | Klint Finley |
| Focus | Software productivity and sustainability |
| Presentation Language | English |
"Knowing when to end a project is just as good as finishing it” is just one of the pearls of wisdom presented in this article that shares tips for gracefully sunsetting open source projects.
Finley presents lessons learned from three maintainers of open source projects on their experiences running and stepping away from a project. There are plenty of reasons why you might retire a project, but how you do it can make a difference in your reputation as well as whether someone else should - or should not - pick up where you left off.
The short list of Dos and Don'ts is:
- Don’t: Keep maintaining something for too long
- Do: Leave the door open for someone else
- Don’t: Pull the plug without notice
- Do: Keep the code online
With details on each of these, the article rightly understands that open source projects - whether maintained by an individual or a community - are living efforts that with good stewardship can be brought to an end in an appropriate way when the time is right.
