OpenSearchCon Europe 2026

Open source powers most of today’s technology, yet many people still judge a project only by visible activity. The problem is that activity does not always reflect real health. A project can look busy while struggling behind the scenes. It can also look quiet while staying stable and strong.

This talk explores the gap between what we see on the surface and what a community is actually experiencing. It draws from my work as a contributor and member of the Linux Foundation’s CHAOSS project, where researchers and maintainers built shared ways to study open-source health in a practical and human way.

The session explains two core ideas. Sustainability covers contributor experience, documentation, onboarding, clarity, and the ability to move forward without burnout. Survivability covers risk, key person dependence, governance strength, and the ability to handle sudden change.

Attendees will learn how to ask better questions, spot early signals, avoid misreading data, and support communities with a clearer understanding of what health truly looks like. This talk is designed for community managers, contributors, OSPO teams, and anyone who works inside open source every day.