Open Digital Infrastructure

Open Digital Infrastructure represents the set of open-source code, standards and knowledge assets that digital building blocks like software libraries, compilers, communication or network protocols are composed of.

They are created by individuals, volunteer communities, in research institutions and SMEs or other corporate environments. Together, they form a foundation of free and public code that is designed to solve common challenges – firstly, in programming, but when applied, also to provide a multitude of core functions for society.

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Infrastructure in Recession

Economic impacts of tech layoffs on FOSS communities

Research Question
How have the recent mass layoffs and rebudgeting within the Western technology industry impacted the sustainability and maintenance of FOSS?
Why is this important to answer?

Recent decades have seen open source software increasingly dependent on private investment, but current economic instability in the Western tech sector may threaten vital digital infrastructures. This research aims to analyze the economic and community impact of these trends to understand the potential risks to our digital infrastructure.

Start Date
January, 2024
Team
Mike Nolan
Rochester Institute of Technology