Open Source Byzantine Music

Open-source software has the benefit of allowing community members to scratch their own itch and contribute improvements, leading to higher software quality. Anyone can access the source code and issue tracking system, and this transparency makes it harder to hide flaws. With constant feedback and contributions from the community, open-source software is constantly updated and enhanced. Finally, pull requests are reviewed by other developers before being integrated, ensuring high coding standards.

All of the above lessons from the open-source software community can be applied to create and maintain high-quality Byzantine music publications, complete with fully transparent public issue tracking systems and documentation for how community members can contribute improvements. The sheet music on this site is an example, and its sources are available on GitHub.

To learn more about the culture of open-source software, read Producing Open Source Software by Karl Fogel. This book’s sources are available in version control.