Open Source Summit Europe 2022

The sunsetting of an open source project could be part of its life cycle but are we ever really prepared for it or could it be prevented?
Along with all the inspiration and excitement, proper planning is required to start an open source project, but there is a certain portion of all projects that won’t become widely adopted or will be replaced by the next great idea. Often the reason for deprecating projects is that they just weren’t the best option, but there are also examples where the lack of resources or shift in priorities can cause a good idea to be left on the drawing board. Knowing and accepting that fact can reduce frustration and help plan for the “sunset” of a project, or even prevent it and allow others to pick up the project.

The audience can walk away from this talk with:

Understanding why not only the launch but also the deprecation of a project requires a plan and preparation
Practical advice and list of steps that are required to responsibly deprecate an open source project as a good open source citizen with clear communication about the process
Examples of learning opportunities from prior mistakes such as common reasons for project deprecation and how they can be prevented

More awareness that innovation requires freedom to experiment, fail and try again.