A Common Stance for Open-Source Software
According to the Alliance’s purpose statement, the “members commit to jointly encourage prospective website owners and developers to always choose open source software over proprietary systems, and to educate why this decision is the first and most important one in a website project. Through this advocacy, we are expanding opportunities for all open source CMS projects.”
The purpose statement continues by describing the Alliance as a “community of communities, built on and furthering openness, trust, and quality”. The collaboration organization also seeks to “benefit the public perception of open source projects, the reliability of open source software, [and] the quality and safety of open source communities,” by being “a platform where members can share and discuss best practices.”
Accounting for the distributed and collaborative nature of open-source software — also beyond content management — the Alliance also includes support of upstream dependencies: “Whenever possible, the Alliance should support third party open source projects and communities upon which our projects depend.”
Shared Values on Open Web
In addition to a promise of joint collaboration, the Open Website Alliance members adhere to the Open Web Manifesto. Originally pioneered by the Drupal Association, the manifesto is a commitment to the web as an empowering tool, built on freedom and decentralization: “Everyone in the world, regardless of background, identity, ability, wealth, or status, has a home on the open web as a user, creator, architect, and innovator. It requires participation: The open web is a shared resource and a shared responsibility, sustained by deliberate choice and collaborative effort.”
Harnessing the concept of shared responsibility, the manifesto continues by describing the open web as a protector of privacy and freedom of speech. It should also “enable the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs” and “must be resilient to a changing world and not controlled by a select few.”
TYPO3 Association a Proud Co-Founder
The manifesto ends with a grand perspective on the role of the open web and open-source software that could also be a credo for the Alliance’s member projects: “Together, we’re shaping the foundation for how the digital world operates, and how future generations will live, work, connect, and express themselves. As long as our software exists, that foundation will be an open web that is open source, open access, and always open to improvement.”
The TYPO3 Association is proud to be actively involved in co-founding an alliance that is closely aligned with the TYPO3 project’s vision, mission, and purpose. Their hope is that more community organizations will join and that the Alliance can be an inspiration to other open-source industries.
