I would like some advice. We developed some large...

# library-development

[joseph_ivie]

I would like some advice.

We developed some large libraries that we use for internal development - essentially a framework - at my current workplace. They're all open source, but we haven't really put a ton of effort into advertising them, and they need some more polish for public use. I'm one of the few who maintains the package, and I'm concerned that their lack of common use is going to cause great problems in the future.

In this case, the library is a set of Kotlin compiler plugins that transpile Android Kotlin apps to human-readable Swift and Typescript apps due to our need to use each platform's native language as per client request. We have this working, and it is currently running several projects in production. This goes in combination with a set of libraries (including UI, network requests, etc) for app development that work across all of the languages, using Rx as a backbone because it exists across all the languages in question.

Is anyone interested in this? Should I find a way to get our company to maintain it more, or should I get our company to abandon it?

(At the moment, my boss has the libraries GPL'd with a separate license for commercial usage. I want to get it changed to something totally open like Apache, and I think I can convince him if we want to continue maintaining.)

In addition, what have you guys found works for advertising a library? What helps keep a library nice?

[altavir]

It is a very good question and I do not think that it has a good answer. I am definitely opposed to GPL because it kills all the possibility of commercial players contributing. Apache license could improve it. Otherwise, one needs to advertise. Conference talks, some publicity in Kotlin weekly and feed channel. The open source library won't live without users.

[joseph_ivie]

Thanks for the reply; that's why I'm stuck. I'm almost certain we can get to Apache, so I'm not terribly worried about that. I just need to figure out whether or not we pursue it any further, because we're in deep now and we need to commit to it or start damage control.

[altavir]

Maybe it is worth making some kind of poll in the channel relevant to you? It would simultaneously give you the knowledge of interest and draw people to try your tools.

[joseph_ivie]

That's a good idea! Thank you!

[Robert Jaros]

I would say an open source library won't live without maintainer as well. Someone must be willing to spend time and work on it. It may be you or your company, it may be someone new from the community. But in my opinion you have to find the maintainer first. And if the lib is useful, users will come sooner or later 😉

[louiscad]

Can you link the project? It'd be great as an inspiration source in the making of a Kotlin to C/C++ compiler in order to target embedded systems.

[joseph_ivie]

https://github.com/lightningkite/khrysalis-meta is the whole thing with libraries
https://github.com/lightningkite/khrysalis is the translator

It's got a ways to go before making sense publicly. It needs a website, some more documentation, and more tests, but here it is.