I am a software developer for many yrs. I've written some opensource projects but they're not popular... only 10-20 stars, one or two bug reports in a year. I've made contributions to large OSS projects but I feel like small fish in large ocean there. There are much bigger fish and whales in OSS who understand the codebase so well and they can extend that code and help others in ways I can only dream of.<p>For sometime I'm having an itch to learn some open source codebase really really well, go deep into it. I want the satisfaction of knowing one open source project deeply. But this takes time and focus. I get such satisfaction in my day job working on proprietary codebases. I want to find the same satisfaction in an OSS project. This could become my weekend hobby. I'm looking for suggestions. What I'm looking for:<p>* Very well established libre/opensource project<p>* Something that will still be relevant and still be around after 20 years<p>* Something that has a community of users around it (it is okay if it is a niche community)<p>The "still be around after 20 years" is important because if I'm going to spend many weekends learning some codebase it'd better be on some codebase that is going to be around after 20 years so what I learn does not go entirely waste. Thoughts? Suggestions?
Linux. It already rules on servers, routers, HPC, embedded, end-user devices TV's smartphones, tablets it is even used in infotainment for land vehicles and aircraft and found some usage in space like the helicopter that flies on Mars.<p>Nevertheless, nothing of this is even close to the lifespan boost it will get once the real time patch gets mainlined. Once Linux becomes a realtime OS, given its mindshare, it will certainly be adopted by deep pocket industries which have a history of paying to maintain their systems while updating them rarely. So, there is a reasonable probability of Linux becoming the COBOL of realtime systems; I don't think it will ever dethrone QNX or VxWorks, but it will very likely find a comfortable place that will guarantee maintaince (and jobs) for decades to come.
Emacs or GCC leap to mind.<p>Of course you might find value in being the last remaining hacker of something outdated: how many shops have a Python 1.x codebase and are badly need someone to hack their interpreter? I suspect the number is non-zero. Perl5 is likely to be wedged into places for a while yet, too.