Hello Increment readers,

Happy birthday to us: Increment is two years old! Since April 2017, we’ve published eight issues and worked with over 100 contributors—developers, writers, designers, artists, producers, and editors—to extend the reach of new ideas and broaden knowledge of best practices. We’ve made this issue—our ninth—extra special to mark the occasion. It’s full of exploration, research, and contemplation, replete with sparkly extras made to delight. (And in print, it comes out to 128 pages!)

From day one, we’ve endeavored to explore useful topics deeply and holistically. This go-round, we chose open source in all its complexity and omnipresence. It’s a rich domain of innovation and utility that can be a major boon to development teams. But, as our collective reliance on open-source tools and libraries grows, questions of sustainability, maintenance, economics, security, and access are increasingly prevalent—and incredibly important.

Whether you’re thinking about how to strengthen a project’s community and healthy practices, mulling the logistics of utilizing open-source tools at a growing organization, or open-sourcing your own project, we hope this issue offers helpful insight and perspective. Open source, like many things, is as good as we make it.

Yours, with birthday cake and party hats,

Sid Orlando
Editor in Chief