Open Source & Public Work

Open source has been a core part of how I build and share work since 2001. Over the years, my focus has been on creating practical tools, reusable foundations, and openly available resources that others can learn from, adapt, and build upon.

This page outlines how and why I approach open-source and public projects, and how that philosophy shapes the work you’ll find across this site.

Why I Build in the Open

Building in the open encourages clarity, accountability, and long-term thinking. When projects are public, they tend to be better structured, better documented, and easier to maintain over time. Open work also lowers barriers — allowing others to explore ideas, reuse components, and avoid reinventing solutions that already exist.

For me, open source is less about ideology and more about utility: creating things that are useful, understandable, and accessible to others.

What “Open” Means on This Site

Across my projects, “open” generally means:

• Source code is publicly available.
• Licensing allows reuse, modification, and redistribution.
• Data is shared in accessible, non-proprietary formats.
• Documentation favors clarity over abstraction.

You’ll find projects released under licenses such as MIT, GPL, CC0, or similar permissive terms, depending on the nature of the work.

Types of Open Projects I Maintain

My open work spans several categories, each serving a different purpose:

• Open Source Code – Libraries, frameworks, templates, plugins, and developer tooling designed for reuse.
• Open Source Software – Larger systems, command-line tools, and domain-specific applications.
• Open Datasets – Curated datasets intended for research, development, and experimentation.
• Templates & Themes – Practical starting points for websites, blogs, and projects.

Each category is organized separately to keep scope clear and expectations aligned.

Design Principles

While the projects vary in purpose, they tend to share a few common principles:

• Simplicity over complexity – Clear defaults beat clever abstractions.
• Portability – Tools should work across environments and stacks.
• Transparency – Assumptions, limitations, and tradeoffs should be visible.
• Longevity – Projects are structured to age gracefully, not chase trends.

These principles help ensure the work remains useful even as technologies evolve.

Contributions & Collaboration

Most projects are developed independently, but contributions, issue reports, and thoughtful feedback are always welcome. If you’re interested in contributing code, improving documentation, suggesting datasets, or proposing ideas, GitHub is usually the best place to start.

Not every project is designed to be highly collaborative, but all are shared with the expectation that others may learn from them or adapt them for their own needs.

Looking Ahead

This site reflects ongoing work rather than a finished catalog. New projects, updates, and refinements are added over time as ideas mature and practical needs emerge. Open source remains a long-term commitment — not a side activity — and continues to shape how I approach building, sharing, and maintaining software and resources.