Is open source a tragedy of the commons? It's complicated

Is open source software on the path to becoming a tragedy of the commons? The debate has played out across Season 1 of the IT Ops Query: Tech's Tragedy of the Commons podcast, with some experts finding the analogy fitting, given the lack of incentives to maintain free code, and others pushing back on the idea, saying that overuse doesn't exist for software the way it does for land.

In Episode 10, the inaugural season's final installment, Josh Koenig and David Strauss, co-founders of a web operations platform provider, consider the comparison and talk with TechTarget Editorial's Beth Pariseau about where it works -- and where it doesn't. Their company, Pantheon, not only contributes to open source projects, but also operates as a downstream user, giving the co-founders a nuanced understanding of the ecosystem.

One aspect of the analogy that works, at least at a high level, is the need for collaboration to keep the commons healthy, either through maintenance of foundational infrastructure or through development of critical components, according to Strauss, CTO at Pantheon. And like a traditional commons, less than desirable practices can emerge, such as changes in licensing agreements, he added.

There's also the shared issue of maintenance. But unlike a traditional commons where users are obligated to help, companies that deploy open source often do so the same way they deploy proprietary software -- as end users, which makes establishing a loop to contribute back to a project difficult, according to Koenig, chief strategy officer at Pantheon.

That lack of participation doesn't damage or degrade the commons, nor does the excessive use of a piece of software -- which can, in fact, have the opposite effect, Koenig argued. As a result, a piece of code that everyone is connected to but that has been forgotten can create enormous, global risk.

In this season finale, Pariseau conducts a sweeping interview that weaves together the tragedy of the commons comparison with several other threads she's been pulling on all season long.

Nicole Laskowski is a senior news director for TechTarget Editorial. She drives coverage for news and trends around enterprise applications, application development and storage.

Beth Pariseau, senior news writer for TechTarget Editorial, is an award-winning veteran of IT journalism covering DevOps. Have a tip? Email her or reach out @PariseauTT.