In our previous update, we shared our vision for Flxbl as a collective that would retain the IP and maintain the tools formerly known as DX@Scale.
Our initial idea was to create a non-profit body supported by sponsorships, which would help us build and maintain open-source assets for the Salesforce community.
This collective vision did not materialise: many organisations we approached for sponsorships aren't equipped to support such a process. After careful consideration, we have decided to pivot our approach and fully incorporate Flxbl as a private entity.
This decision ensures the long-term sustainability of our projects and better serves our community and customers.
What does this mean?
Maintaining and Enhancing Open-Source Projects
We will continue maintaining and enhancing existing open-source projects, mainly sfp, focusing on community contributions and collaboration.
Commitment to Transparency
This transition to a private entity will allow us better to serve our paying customers and the broader community while creating a sustainable and thriving ecosystem around Flxbl’s projects.
We understand that this change may raise questions, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and open communication with our community. This announcement is essential in informing our community about the changes and their reasoning.
Community Contributions and Licensing
Our existing open-source projects will remain open-source. However, all project contributions will now require a Contributor License Agreement (CLA).
The CLA outlines the process for contributors to submit their work to Flxbl’s projects and grants Flxbl the necessary rights to use, modify, and distribute those contributions. This helps clarify the legal framework for community contributions.
Source-Available Products
We offer source-available products, which will function similarly to ‘inner-source’ projects for our paying customers. In addition to the source code access, customers will benefit from Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and prioritised support for feature requests. Customers who purchase a license will gain access to the product’s source code, allowing them to collaborate and retain the code, similar to how our open-source projects operate. Some examples of products falling into this category include sfp-pro, sfops, and dev central.
Consulting Services
Achieving DevOps maturity and modularisation requires more than just utilising tools; it may involve refactoring your existing organisation(s) and upskilling your team through coaching.
To assist in this process, we offer consulting services through a network of experienced Flxbl practitioners who have successfully executed similar projects. For example, we collaborate closely with Harrier, an exemplary Flxbl Practitioner, to help their clients achieve these goals.
Community Stewardship
We want to enable community stewardship for existing and new open-source projects. The selection of community stewards depends on volunteers from the community. This can evolve into a governance model, with the Flxbl core team providing advisory based on the learning from various projects.
Community stewards can decide the course of action. Diéffrei Quadros will be the first community steward in this model and take key sfp development leadership.
Dieffrei will serve as the key point of contact for the community versions and act as our initial community steward, with full authority over the roadmap and priorities in the community edition.
If you would like to be an active maintainer, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Balancing Customer and Community Needs
Flxbl's core team will prioritise the needs of its paying customers while also considering the community's needs. Once approved by the current community steward, any features built by the community will be immediately available in the community edition.
Partner Network
System Integrators interested in establishing a partnership can contact Flxbl directly for more information on the partner network for consulting services.
Thank you for your continued support and being a part of the Flxbl community.
Best regards,
The Flxbl Team
