Back in September 2024 events happened that shook the WordPress ecosystem. We all watched along as, over a period of a few months, the confidence that we had in the WordPress project, which is the foundation of nearly half of the web, was torn apart. Notable contributors were banned from contributing to the project, companies were ostracised, and there were hundreds of behind-the-scenes conversations in which people expressed their fear about the future of the project, the software, and of the security of the open web.
I was on holiday as the events unfolded and I remember being glued to my phone, watching as each new blow happened. I had so much to say about it, but I felt then that I couldn’t say anything. I felt fear that if I added my voice to those who spoke up I, and the company that I worked for, would be singled out and barred from the community. In a volatile economy, I had responsibilities beyond myself and I couldn’t take the risk. I was one of the group of contributors who signed the open letter published in the Repository. We felt that we had to do something, even while knowing that something wasn’t enough.
So I watched while initiatives I had helped found were used as weapons in a power struggle and the community that I had been part of for many years struggled to process what was going on.
Like many current and former contributors, I was part of conversations, and over time those conversations started to come together in a band of contributors and business owners who were motivated to make a change to the status quo. We reached out to the Linux Foundation and asked them if they could support us to create a project which would build resilience and sustainability into the software distribution, and create a new space where disenfranchised and disaffected contributors could come together once again to contribute productively to open source web publishing.
I’m so proud to be part of the group that today launches the FAIR Package Manager project, to finally break cover, to have a voice, and to create a space that welcomes current and new contributors to the project. Over the past six months we have worked together to turn a situation that has shaken us all into an opportunity to build something new, something built for the future, something that prioritises sustainability and security, and something that we are all proud to contribute to and be part of.
The FAIR Package Manager is built to complement and work alongside the WordPress central project, ensuring that users, contributors, hosts, and business owners have a choice, and have a secure and decentralised option with a sustainable and reliable form of governance.
Not all those who have been part of this process feel they can speak up, which speaks to the lack of psychological safety and the fear that has overshadowed the community for the past ten months. I hope that now and over the coming months, we have the beginnings of a new space where open source contributors can scratch their itch, where dissent and challenge are welcomed and celebrated, and where we create a solid foundation for the future of the open web.
Thanks to the Linux Foundation for taking us in – I’m excited to see what our crew will build together in the future!
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