Open Source Vital Signs

Beware of moving parts and sharp edges.

Experimental projects are early-stage explorations. I am validating ideas, APIs, and architecture. Breaking changes are likely. Documentation may be incomplete. The goal is learning and iteration, not stability.

Contribute early and often. Experimental projects are where your input can make the biggest difference.

Actively developed and moving toward stability.

Maturing projects have graduated from my mad science lab and taken up residence in the "maybe someday this could be useful" wing of my brain. They’ve proven themselves useful, are under active development, and are moving closer to stability. APIs may change, but those changes are more deliberate now. Documentation is improving, and I try not to break things quite as much. Backward compatibility is considered, though it can’t be guaranteed.

If you’re cool with the idea of keeping up with the project’s evolution (and occasional minor breaking changes), maturing projects are worth a closer look. They might even be suitable for early production use.

Production-ready and well behaved.

Stable projects have left their rebellious teenager phase behind. They’ve found steady jobs, bought houses, and aren’t looking for new hobbies. The scope is defined, the API is predictable, and documentation is complete enough that you should be able to use them independently. New features are rare, not because these projects are neglected, but because they do what they set out to do. If they had driver’s licenses, I’d feel comfortable letting you loan them out for road trips.

Use Stable projects in production with confidence. Major changes will be rare and clearly communicated.

Inactive and out of service.

Retired projects have left the building for good. They may depend on outdated technologies, have been replaced by newer projects, or no longer align with my interests. If you’re inclined, feel free to fork them and keep the dream alive; but I do not plan to review issues, accept pull requests, or publish new releases.

If you’re inclined, feel free to keep the dream alive on your own terms (just keep the license intact).

Code with a "do not feed" sign.

Static projects are like exhibits at the zoo: they’re here to be observed and appreciated, not taken home. These are snippets of code published alongside research papers or blog posts, demonstration examples, or educational materials. Don’t expect any updates; I won’t be making any, because the purpose of these projects is to serve as a reference, not to build your production system.