Open Stack

Thierry Carrez <thierry at openstack.org> writes:

> Removing the root cause would be a more radical move: stop offering
> hosting to non-OpenStack projects on OpenStack infrastructure
> altogether. We originally did that for a reason, though. The benefits of
> offering that service are:
>
> 1- it lets us set up code repositories and testing infrastructure before
> a project applies to be an official OpenStack project.
>
> 2- it lets us host things that are not openstack but which we work on
> (like abandoned Python libraries or GPL-licensed things) in a familiar
> environment
>
> 3- it spreads "the openstack way" (Gerrit, Zuul) beyond openstack itself

I think this omits what I consider the underlying reason for why we did
it:

It helps us build a community around OpenStack.

Early on we had so many people telling us that we needed to support
"ecosystem" projects better.  That was the word they used at the time.
Many of us said "hey, you're free to use github" and they told us that
wasn't enough.

We eventually got the message and invited them in, and it surpassed our
expectations and I think surprised even the most optimistic of us.  We
ended up in a place where anyone with an OpenStack related idea can try
it out and collaborate frictionlessly with everyone else in the
OpenStack community on it, and in doing so, become recognized in the
community for that.  The ability for someone to build something on top
of OpenStack as part of the OpenStack community has been empowering.

I confess to being a skeptic and a convert.  I wasn't thrilled about the
unbounded additional responsibility when we started this, but now that
we're here, I think it's one of the best things about the project and I
would hate to cleave our community by ending it.

-Jim