Podling maturity evaluation of Apache MADlib based on the Apache project maturity model.
Code
ID | Description (from maturity model) | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| The project produces Open Source software, for distribution to the public at no charge. | The project fulfilled this at the time of entering incubation. Even prior to entering incubation, it was an open source project. |
| The project's code is easily discoverable and publicly accessible. | Google search returns links to project's code. https://www.google.com/#q=madlib+apache+software, https://github.com/apache/incubator-madlib |
| The code can be built in a reproducible way using widely available standard tools. | https://github.com/apache/incubator-madlib/blob/master/README.md |
| The full history of the project's code is available via a source code control system, in a way that allows any released version to be recreated. | Please see the tagged releases for Apache MADlib in the source code control system. This is done in a standard way, as documented in the Apache MADlib release process, where tagging is a mandatory step so that any released version can be recreated. |
| The provenance of each line of code is established via the source code control system, in a reliable way based on strong authentication of the committer. When third-party contributions are committed, commit messages provide reliable information about the code provenance. | https://github.com/apache/incubator-madlib |
Licenses and Copyright
ID | Description | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| The code is released under the Apache License, version 2.0. | https://github.com/apache/incubator-madlib/blob/master/LICENSE |
| Libraries that are mandatory dependencies of the project's code do not create more restrictions than the Apache License does. | https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MADLIB/Third+Party+Components |
| The libraries mentioned in LC20 are available as Open Source software. | https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MADLIB/Third+Party+Components |
| Committers are bound by an Individual Contributor Agreement (the "Apache iCLA") that defines which code they are allowed to commit and how they need to identify code that is not their own. | All committers must sign and submit an "Apache ICLA" as outlined in the ASF guidelines. |
| The copyright ownership of everything that the project produces is clearly defined and documented. | https://github.com/apache/incubator-madlib/blob/master/README.md |
Releases
ID | Description | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| Releases consist of source code, distributed using standard and open archive formats that are expected to stay readable in the long term. | https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/release/incubator/madlib/ |
| Releases are approved by the project's PMC (see CS10), in order to make them an act of the Foundation. | We adhere to Apache voting guidelines. See for example the community voting thread for the 1.10 release, and the corresponding IPMC voting thread. |
| Releases are signed and/or distributed along with digests that can be reliably used to validate the downloaded archives. | https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/release/incubator/madlib/ |
| Convenience binaries can be distributed alongside source code but they are not Apache Releases -- they are just a convenience provided with no guarantee. | https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/release/incubator/madlib/ shows clear distinction between source code and binaries. |
| The release process is documented and repeatable to the extent that someone new to the project is able to independently generate the complete set of artifacts required for a release. | Please see the documented Apache MADlib release process. |
Quality
ID | Description | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| The project is open and honest about the quality of its code. Various levels of quality and maturity for various modules are natural and acceptable as long as they are clearly communicated. | The Apache MADlib project aims for high quality software that is scalable across a massively parallel processing database. Modules in early stage development are put in a separate section of the user documentation and clearly labelled. Early stage development means there may be some issues that will be addressed in a future release. Also, interface and implementation are subject to change. Deprecated modules are put in a separate section of the user documentation and are clearly labelled, with an indication of which newer modules have replaced them. |
| The project puts a very high priority on producing secure software. | The Apache MADlib project aims for high quality software that is secure. Thus far in the project, there have been no cases of security vulnerabilities related to the software. |
| The project provides a well-documented channel to report security issues, along with a documented way of responding to them. | We have an accessible dev mailing list and user mailing list for security discussions and JIRA to report any security related issues. |
| The project puts a high priority on backwards compatibility and aims to document any incompatible changes and provide tools and documentation to help users transition to new features. | Backwards compatibility has always been very important for the Apache MADlib project. The madpack installation tool supports upgrade from previous MADlib versions and also supports underlying database updates. |
| The project strives to respond to documented bug reports in a timely manner. | We have an active dev mailing list and user mailing list for discussion and JIRA to report any issues. Committers/contributors endeavor to respond in a timely manner to postings. |
Community
ID | Description | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| The project has a well-known homepage that points to all the information required to operate according to this maturity model. | |
| The community welcomes contributions from anyone who acts in good faith and in a respectful manner and adds value to the project. | This is a core principle of the Apache MADlib community. We have seen no examples of unkind or inappropriate behavior in the dev mailing list, user mailing list, JIRAs, project wiki or PRs. How to become a MADlib committer is clearly described in the wiki. Contribution guidelines for the MADlib project are also clearly described in the wiki. |
| Contributions include not only source code, but also documentation, constructive bug reports, constructive discussions, marketing and generally anything that adds value to the project. | Since entering incubation on Sept. 15, 2015, contributions to the Apache MADlib project have included: source code, user documentation, wiki content, web site content, bug reports, performance testing, comments on PRs, organization of community calls, conference presentations, meetup organizing and presenting, and outbound marketing. |
| The community is meritocratic and over time aims to give more rights and responsibilities to contributors who add value to the project. | Three new committers have been added to the project so far: 2016-01-12 Xiaocheng Tang xtang@apache.org We are actively encouraging others to join the project. |
| The way in which contributors can be granted more rights such as commit access or decision power is clearly documented and is the same for all contributors. | How to become a MADlib committer is clearly described in the wiki. Contribution guidelines for the MADlib project are also clearly described in the wiki. |
| The community operates based on consensus of its members (see CS10) who have decision power. Dictators, benevolent or not, are not welcome in Apache projects. | Release candidates, roadmap ideas and other project decision making is done in an open and transparent way on the dev mailing list, user mailing list and project wiki. Diverse opinions are welcome and respected. Also please see the Apache MADlib YouTube site for videos, including from the regular community calls. |
| The project strives to answer user questions in a timely manner. | User questions on the user mailing list are generally answered in a timely manner by the community. JIRAs opened by users are also responded to in a timely manner. |
Consensus Building
ID | Description | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| The project maintains a public list of its contributors who have decision power -- the project's PMC (Project Management Committee) consists of those contributors. | List of contributors are maintained at http://incubator.apache.org/projects/madlib |
| Decisions are made by consensus among PMC members and are documented on the project's main communications channel. Community opinions are taken into account but the PMC has the final word if needed. | Release candidates, roadmap ideas and other project decision making is done in an open and transparent way on the dev mailing list, user mailing list and project wiki. Diverse opinions are welcome and respected but PMC makes final decisions when needed. |
| Documented voting rules are used to build consensus when discussion is not sufficient. | The Apache MADlib community abides by the Apache voting rules. The committer responsibilities for MADlib are clearly described in the wiki. |
| In Apache projects, vetoes are only valid for code commits and are justified by a technical explanation, as per the Apache voting rules defined in CS30. | The Apache MADlib community abides by the Apache voting rules, including requiring a technical justification for vetoing code commits. So far, there has been no evidence of veto abuses in the project. |
| All "important" discussions happen asynchronously in written form on the project's main communications channel. Offline, face-to-face or private discussions that affect the project are also documented on that channel. | All important discussions happen in the dev mailing list, user mailing list, JIRAs, project wiki and PRs. Offline conversations that affect the project are summarized in the main communications channel for comment and discussion. |
Independence
ID | Description | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| The project is independent from any corporate or organizational influence. | Review of the dev mailing list, user mailing list, JIRAs, project wiki and PRs indicate that project discussions and decisions happen in the open on these main communications channels, with no discernible hidden agendas. |
| Contributors act as themselves as opposed to representatives of a corporation or organization. | Review of the dev mailing list, user mailing list, JIRAs, project wiki and PRs indicate that contributors are acting as themselves and not presenting any overt corporate or organization's interest. So no worrying signs so far. |