Skip to main content

October 2024 Open Source Ecosystem Data Insight Report

· 5 min read
Frank Zhao
Frank Zhao
Ph.D candidate at X-lab, author of OpenDigger
Will Wang
Will Wang
Prof. @ ECNU / Founder of X-lab

The OpenRank indicator is an open source implementation of the evaluation indicators in the "Information Technology Open Source Governance" series of standards of the Electronic Standards Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It can effectively reflect the collaborative influence of open source projects among developers, thereby helping us understand the open source world, discover open source trends, and gain insight into open source events.

Hot Event 1: Linux Removes Russian Maintainers, Huawei Releases Native HarmonyOS​

  • Data Facts: According to OpenDigger data, OpenHarmony has rapidly grown since its open-source release in August 2019, becoming the top-ranked open-source community in China. Currently, OpenHarmony projects are primarily hosted on the Gitee platform, with over 2,000 repositories, more than 8,000 contributors, and over 15,000 active developers. More than 70 tech companies, including Ruyi Software, Softpower Technology, Shencanhong, and Jolian Technology, are involved in its development.

  • Detailed Analysis: In late October 2024, Linux removed over a dozen Russian developers from its kernel maintainer list due to "compliance requirements." Linus Torvalds responded firmly to other developers' questions in a subsequent mailing list. This event drew significant attention in the open-source community, highlighting the increasing impact of geopolitics on open-source technology. In May 2019, Huawei was added to the US Entity List, preventing it from using Google's Android OS. In response, Huawei released HarmonyOS in August 2019 and open-sourced its core code as the OpenHarmony project, donating it to the OpenAtom Open Source Foundation in May 2020. After over five years of development, OpenHarmony has become the highest-ranked open-source project group in China. In late October 2024, Huawei released a fully independent, natively developed HarmonyOS based on OpenHarmony's development, marking the project's maturity.

  • Author's Comments: While technology itself is borderless, technologists have nationalities. In the face of significant geopolitical changes, we must maintain an open and cooperative stance while being prepared to lead and develop our core technologies. Only then can we leverage technology to drive national development and ensure strong global competitiveness.

  • Further Reading:

Hot Event 2: Open Source Summer Programs Conclude, Global Summer Activities Thrive​

  • Data Facts: According to OpenDigger data, due to the impact of the National Day holiday in China, most projects experienced a decline in OpenRank during October. However, due to the popularity of OSPP and GSoC, related projects saw an overall increase of 3.5%, with thousands of participants involved in summer activities.

  • Detailed Analysis: Both OSPP (Open Source Promotion Plan) and GSoC (Google Summer of Code) concluded in October. According to official data, both programs set new records in 2024, with 561 and 1,133 projects, respectively. OpenDigger data shows that similar summer programs targeting college students are emerging globally. For instance, the GSSoC24 (GirlScript Summer of Code) program launched in India in October, with over 2,000 students registering for certificates. Additionally, Woowa Brothers in South Korea initiated programming training courses targeting students, with over 4,500 learning PRs and 28,000 PR review comments across 10 learning repositories in October, placing multiple repositories on the global OpenLeaderboard.

  • Author's Comments: In recent years, open-source summer programs for college students have become more numerous and diverse. These programs not only produce excellent software but also provide students with valuable coding and practical experience, becoming important platforms for their technical growth and innovation.

  • Further Reading:

Recommended Projects of the Month

freeCodeCamp​

  • freeCodeCamp is a popular online learning platform that teaches programming and web development skills through interactive methods. It offers free resources, including thousands of coding challenges, projects, algorithms, and front-end development practices. Its main repository has over 400,000 stars, consistently ranking first on GitHub's star chart. In October 2024, freeCodeCamp participated in Hacktoberfest, attracting more developers. During the month, 380 developers contributed, resulting in 435 PRs and over 2,200 discussions, boosting the project's OpenRank by 50% to 151.
  • Repository: https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/freeCodeCamp
  • Comment: Both freeCodeCamp and Hacktoberfest started in 2014, and their combination continues to inspire creativity after a decade of development.

Bolt.new​

  • In early October 2024, StackBlitz, the company behind the WebContainer project, launched Bolt.new. This new product integrates AI assistants based on large language models with WebContainer technology, enabling local code generation and Node.js execution in the browser. This allows Node.js based software projects to be developed, debugged, and deployed entirely within the browser. The launch was well-received, with over 600,000 views on Twitter. Within a month, the repository received over 6,600 stars, and more than 1,100 developers participated in discussions and collaborations, resulting in an OpenRank of 163.
  • Repository: https://github.com/stackblitz/bolt.new
  • Comment: The emergence of large language models has significantly enhanced programming productivity, while WebContainer technology has revolutionized application deployment. Their combination provides unprecedented convenience and experience for developers, greatly inspiring their enthusiasm and creativity.

Hackpad​

  • Hackpad is an interesting hackathon project initiated by Hack Club, a global community of high school hackers. The project invites developers to submit mini keyboard designs, including PCB designs, hardware models, and software programs, during the event. The organizers will produce physical keyboards based on the accepted designs and distribute them to participants. In October 2024, 178 participants submitted 287 PRs, contributing to the repository's OpenRank of 100.
  • Repository: https://github.com/hackclub/hackpad
  • Comment: Open-source collaboration platforms provide fertile ground for global community development. Hack Club, a global tech community of young students, stands out with creative ideas and activities, reminding us of the original hacker spirit: just for fun!