Be Open From Day One, Not Day N.

Note: This is an updated version of an article I first wrote in 2011. The original site went offline for a while, and although it was later restored, thanks to heroic efforts by Philip Ashlock, I felt the article needed a new home, and wanted a chance to update it anyway. This version also incorporates some suggestions from V. David Zvenyach.

Over the years we’ve watched software projects of all sizes make the transition from closed-source to open source. The lesson we consistently draw from them is this:

If you’re running a software project and you plan to make it open source eventually, then just make it open source from the beginning of development.

Waiting will only create more work.

The longer a project is run in a closed-source mode, the harder it will be to open source later. Continue reading “Be Open From Day One, Not Day N.”