What did I experience at the OpenStack Essex Design Summit in Boston?
I was at the OpenStack Essex Design Summit in Boston last week from Oct. 13–15 (we’re making a commitment to OpenStack here at Voxel), and here are some of my adventures and lessons learned.
Why does OpenStack feel like the next Apache?
OpenStack, the open source cloud services software suite, has wind beneath its wings. Even though I only focused on one specific project last week, if the other projects have half as much momentum, smarts, and good-natured collaboration, then all of them are sure to succeed. OpenStack could possibly have the same effect that the Apache web server had on Internet infrastructure.
I remember the early days of the ‘Net, when I’d check Netcraft.com to find out which web server was leading the “most sites hosted” competition. I was working for Netscape at the time, and we were always hungry to steal rank from Microsoft. Apache was too formidable an opponent, so we resigned ourselves to taking market share from the other “enterprise” web servers. Although we wanted to penetrate the service provider market, our features were too enterprise-y and not service provider-y enough. Plus, who can compete with free and open source?
What kind of competition is emerging in the cloud ecosystem?
I see the same sort of (mostly) friendly competition unfolding on the cloud and DevOps mailing lists today. What types of companies will choose which type of cloud service software? Smart shops look carefully at feature set, operational complexity, and scalability goals. They also study the other organizations committing to the project—the quality of the developers and the tone on the mailing lists and IRC. So far, OpenStack has not disappointed.
What makes OpenStack Swift stand out?
I have, admittedly, a somewhat jaded view. I’m focusing on OpenStack’s most successful development project—the Object Storage System called Swift. But throughout all the OpenStack projects I’ve seen, even where quality has been uneven, it’s not for lack of effort. Swift, and all these projects, are moving targets; the drive for greater scalability sometimes causes dramatic design shifts. Still, the organization, layout, and documentation are usable and nimble. At the Summit, the Swift developers were informative, open, and very receptive to feedback from other developers and implementers.
What lessons can OpenStack learn from the Apache Foundation?
I’ve never been to an ApacheCon, but it’s the only group I can think of right now that has the same diversity of products and unity of cause. The Apache project and foundation are highly successful, and I hope the OpenStack Foundation studies Apache’s model closely—learning from its successes and failures alike, not through trial and error but through wisdom and observation.
How was the overall quality of the Summit discussions?
In summary, some talks at the Summit were great, others were unstructured, and some leaders struggled to keep the conversation focused. But that happens at nearly every conference and on most mailing lists. The freedom to digress is often the price of inclusion. If you try to exclude people from the conversation, you risk dull and predictable results. The trick is good leadership—allowing all voices to contribute while still driving toward a goal. And overall, I think OpenStack has strong leadership.
What’s next for me and OpenStack Swift?
I’m now very happily preparing to go to market with OpenStack Swift, encouraged by the steady and humble leadership I witnessed in the OpenStack community and core team. I’m confident that my serious approach to the product will be met with equally serious support when challenges arise—as they inevitably do.
I look forward to your files!
