The online community surrounding Opensource.com has been remarkably quiet lately, but that silence is deceptive. Behind the scenes, the community is hard at work on something entirely new. While specific details about the upcoming project remain under wraps for the moment, there is already plenty to discuss regarding the future of the platform, the nature of digital networks, and the human connections that have sustained the open source movement for decades.
To understand where the platform is heading, observers and community members alike are being invited to look at the bigger picture—starting with the very structure of the internet itself and the fundamental ways people connect across global digital spaces.
The Internet and Top-Level Domains
As most internet users know, the internet is, at its core, a network. By definition, a network is a group of interconnected connections. In fact, the very term "internet" is a portmanteau combining "interconnected" and "network."
Historically, the internet began as a synthesis of two primary networks: a military network and an academic network. As the digital age progressed and the internet expanded in popularity far beyond those initial specialized groups, it quickly became apparent that different designations were desperately needed. A system had to be established to differentiate between a commercial entity, a charitable organization, a university, or a governmental department, allowing users to navigate digital spaces with a clear understanding of who was operating them.
These crucial designations are formally known as top-level domains, or TLDs. While there is a vast array of available TLD extensions today, for a long time there were only a handful. Those original TLDs remain exceptionally popular and deeply embedded in internet culture. Most internet users intuitively understand that when navigating to a .com address, they are visiting a commercial site, whereas visiting a .org address signifies a non-profit organization. These extensions do more than just route traffic; they tell a story about the intent, governance, and identity behind the web presence.
Open Source Is a Network
That concept of identity and purpose brings the conversation directly to open source, which can manifest in many different ways. Open source can be commercial, it can be non-profit, it can be academic, or it can be cultural. No matter what form it ultimately takes, however, it is always fundamentally a network.
Sometimes that network consists of computers exchanging data and running code, but most importantly, it is a network of people. Whether those individuals are gathering at a massive international conference, catching up at a local pub, or collaborating in an online chat room, the open source movement is, at its heart, a vibrant community of human beings working toward shared goals.
For the past twelve years, the website Opensource.com has been supported by a commercial entity. That backing has provided stability and a platform for millions of readers to learn about creating, adopting, and sharing open source solutions. However, the people—referring to the readers, contributors, and advocates who make up the actual Opensource.com community—are not commercial entities. They are individuals.
The disparity between a commercially supported infrastructure and a deeply human, community-driven movement has not gone unnoticed. Now, after more than a decade of publication, change is on the horizon.
In just one month, Opensource.com is going to resolve that fundamental misalignment. With a new project in the works and a fresh chapter about to unfold, community members are being encouraged to stay tuned as further announcements and details emerge regarding the future of the platform and its ongoing mission to champion the open source way.
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