The following characteristics have been defined for the TERENA Greenhouse work, which clearly differentiates the offer from other options available to open software projects. These are expanded in more detail below.
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It will be important to develop the TERENA Greenhouse offer along these principles to ensure it is fulfilling the community requirements. In order to evaluate the role of the TERENA Greenhouse, a range of different existing Software Conservancy models have been looked at, include Apache, Eclipse, Apereo, Free Software Foundation, and OpenAFS.
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In speaking to the projects that are interested in the TERENA Greenhouse, the most cited reason for TERENA to take on the role is that is already a known and trusted entity. TERENA also has the experience of managing contracts and funding for small-scale projects so can quickly understand the needs and requirements of the projects. As an intermediary, it is easier for potential funders to trust TERENA to effectively manage funds and often easier for organisations to be able to pass funding to an established legal entity such as TERENA rather than to the software developers themselves.
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One of the most cited problems with using existing software conservancy approaches is that there are no conservancies based in Europe. EU and US law are different enough for this to cause problems not only for the projects but also for potential sponsors of the project. TERENA’s legal set-up within the Netherlands makes it an ideal organisation to take on such a role.
Light-touch.
The TERENA Greenhouse has been scoped as a lightweight supporting function for open-source software projects. It has no intention of becoming or offering the services of a full-scale Software Conservancy organisation, but rather to act as a broker for projects to ensure they can interact efficiently with potential funders and promote their projects to the community. The overheads and requirements of organisations such as Apache have been cited as a barrier-to-entry for small-scale software projects interested in finding a structure ‘home’.
The TERENA Greenhouse does not seek to offer code-audits or any other governance or control of the projects – success will be based on the socialization of the code discussed below. We do recognise that some projects may need or desire this route, so it is proposed that the TERENA Greenhouse works closely with the GEANT Software Support work areas and promotes that as a suitable route for projects seeking more robust hosting, testing and auditing. Discussions are already underway with GEANT to establish how this could be managed and supported.
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The socialisation aspect of the TERENA Greenhouse has two separate strands.
The TERENA Greenhouse will not offer any hosting for projects but will rely on github for code management and support. This has several benefits – it broadens the potential visibility of the projects, it provides a readily accessible platform in order to achieve rapid feedback and development and it gives potential clients a quick and clear overview of who is engaging with the project and how it is being developed and improved.
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