The path to an open, innovative and standardised logistics industry is also and especially through the contributions of developers to the open source software created in the Open Logistics Foundation and published in the Open Logistics Repository on the GitLab platform. To date, member companies in particular have actively contributed to software development within the framework of the Foundation‘s projects. Collaboration has always been based on the technical specifications defined in the projects. Non-member companies can contribute at any time, but their time comes when the projects result in scalable software. At this point, it makes sense for external companies to become involved in further development – be it the development of new functionality or the detection and correction of bugs – and to become part of a community that extends beyond the original companies involved.
To this end, the Open Logistics Foundation has now added a CONTRIBUTING.md to every project on its GitLab – a kind of manual for developers who want to make their own contributions. The Open Logistics Foundation deliberately makes it easy for them to get started: The document fills half a DIN A4 page when printed out. An essential prerequisite for collaboration is that developers transfer the rights to their developments to the Foundation. Therefore, the Open Logistics Foundation‘s Contributor Licence Agreement (CLA) is directly linked to the CONTRIBUTING.md. Anyone who has completed the formalities and wants to start developing software informs the Foundation of the intended changes and is then authorised. This process applies not only to external companies but also to employees of member companies.
New contributors cannot work directly in the main development thread of the software. Instead, they make a personal copy (fork) – a common procedure in Git that gives developers the most freedom possible. They can then drag that copy into a private area (branch) and edit it there. Git allows multiple branches to be managed in parallel so that multiple developers can work on a file simultaneously. To merge the new or changed code into the official version, the developer submits a merge request to the project maintainer, usually an original project member or Foundation staff member. The maintainer then decides whether or not to merge the contribution into the project.
This is the Open Logistics Foundation‘s way of ensuring that the common foundation of any development – the standard that the Foundation is always working towards – is maintained. The core of the software will be strengthened and enhanced with new industry-relevant features through collaboration of developers worldwide. In this way, contributors are actively involved in the continuous improvement of the project – and the Open Logistics Repository becomes a virtual, living community as active as the Foundation‘s network of members.
