Open-source development has been seen as the last bastion of meritocracy. The feeling goes that for a software project, the only principle which should matter is the technical details of the code. All developers strive to simple, faster, cleaner technical solutions and can agree alignment on these simple self-evident facts.
Anyone who has spent significant time in these communities knows that the truth is more complicated. Governance, conflict, power, and trust shape the day-to-day life