This week in our Open Source Software Development class, I continued working with my group on Oppia and also reflected on some bigger ideas in open source after watching Claude Warren’s talk “The Cathedral, the Bazaar, and the Coffeehouse” and reading Eric Raymond’s essay. I also spent some time learning about OSPOs and how real companies manage their open source work.

Reflections from the Project (Oppia)

Our group has been steadily contributing to Oppia and navigating GitHub issues. One thing that stood out to me from The Cathedral and the Bazaar was the idea: “Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow.” This is absolutely true in Oppia. There’s a huge community constantly reviewing PRs, catching issues, and offering feedback. It’s comforting to know that you don’t have to be perfect—someone will help spot things you miss.

Another key lesson was “release early, release often.” Oppia encourages this mindset by making it easy to push smaller contributions rather than waiting to submit a huge feature. That has helped us stay active and learn more through quicker feedback loops.

The Coffeehouse Concept

Claude Warren’s talk introduced the idea of a “coffeehouse” as a model for open source—an open space where people casually meet, talk, and collaborate. It’s a nice metaphor for how open source feels, especially in a project like Oppia. You’re free to explore issues, jump into conversations, and get guidance without needing to be a core team member. That informal but welcoming environment has made contributing feel way more approachable.

What OSPOs Actually Do

I researched OSPOs at three companies: Google, Microsoft, and Spotify.

• Google’s OSPO, led by Anne Bertucio, helps developers handle licensing and compliance and supports major projects like TensorFlow. They also run programs to support documentation, security, and diversity in open source.
• Microsoft’s OSPO, led by Jeff Wilcox, provides internal tools and legal guidance for developers contributing to open source. They also help foster a company-wide culture of contribution.
• Spotify’s OSPO focuses on maintaining transparency and promoting internal contributions. They support open source tools they rely on, and encourage engineers to give back through code, docs, and community engagement.

Overall, OSPOs act like guides—they handle the legal and logistical side of things so developers can contribute safely and effectively. They also help companies stay connected to the open source community instead of just consuming code without giving back.

Takeaways

This week connected a lot of dots for me. Contributing to open source is not just about solving bugs—it’s about being part of a larger, collaborative culture. Whether it’s on a small GitHub issue or a massive company-run project, the same values apply: openness, feedback, iteration, and community. I’m excited to keep learning both through our project and by seeing how others do open source at scale.