About the BDFL#

Tip

This section is written in first person and provides a subjective opinion of its author.

Author: Jacopo Abramo

Note

TLDR:

  • The BDFL is a temporary governance model, but required for projects still in the infancy stage.

  • At this time there’s only one contributor - me.

  • I can’t make everyone happy, so I’ll reserve the right to have the final word on decisions.

  • In case the project picks momentum, I will be happy to shift to a different governance model.

The word “dictator” in the context of open-source projects might seem a bit misleading. It originated from a joke on how the original author of the Python programming language, Guido van Rossum, was reffered to.

From my perspective, and based on my past experiences, I believe that a project in its infancy should have one (and only one) lead figure that gives traction to the decision making process involved in expanding the project in its core functionalities.

This does not hinder other contributors to providing their opinion, which is actually highly encouraged and always appreciated (as long as it respects the Code of Conduct). But I have a clear set of goals for RedSun, which sometimes may clash with other contributors ideas; I can try to be as open as possible in fitting other contributor’s ideas in RedSun but some of them may be too inconsistent with either the current state of the project or its goals.

Whether to change the governance model to something different and more democratic depends majorly on how the audience responds to it. If it gains a lot of momentum and many other people become regular contributors, it becomes only natural that this model shifts to something that fits a bigger audience. But that time is yet to come.

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