Description
The blessing and the curse of open-source software is that it lacks the infrastructure of a corporation. It can often be difficult to ensure that projects have stability and longevity. In this talk, I will discuss ongoing work on an NSF "Pathways in Open-Source Ecosystems" grant focused on the {data.table} package. Like many R packages, {data.table} has incredible functionality and thousands of users - but no cohesive community or governance structure to support it long-term. We are working to build this ecosystem. I will provide my advice and insight for key aspects of a sustainable open-source project: Engaging casual users, supporting developers, generating content, emphasizing education, and creating a home base for the community.