Operate First - Operate, Open, Governance and Hybrid

By Nick Barcet

Operate First regroups a few concepts, relying on standard definitions of Open, Open Source, and Open Work:

• OPERATE: To build software optimized to run as a service and allow others to run it as a service easily, including documenting how to operate the cloud environment itself.

• OPEN: To develop open source practices, tooling, and documentation that allows us to build and manage the software, incorporate lessons we’ve learned from operations back into code, automate wherever possible, and contribute to open source communities.

• GOVERNANCE: To foster inclusive, respectful, and collaborative communities through clear standards and accepted practices (e.g., codes of conduct) so participants are empowered to contribute.

• HYBRID: Ensure that there is no dependency in the tooling in the cloud environment the software is operating in by always verifying the software and management tooling works identically on at least one other platform (another cloud, in a private data center, …)

Why are we defining Operate First?

Because Upstream First was not enough anymore to deliver the values of Open Source in today’s service world.

It’s not enough to just deliver our code in an upstream community if we do not ensure that we also apply it to everything else we use to operate it as a service.

It’s not enough to just deliver software without having first-hand experience of what it means to operate it.

It’s not enough to ensure that it works on a single cloud if we care about its hybridity.

It wasn’t enough to drop code once in a while to do « real » Open Source, but inclusive governance should no longer be an option. Inclusivity must apply to anyone, including those who spend time ensuring the reliability of a service, including those that use the service, not just to those who code the service itself.