Publications & Resources
At Cowboy Consulting, we believe open source isn’t just about code — it’s about building sustainable ecosystems, governance frameworks, and communities that last. This page collects our research papers, whitepapers, and strategic guides that explore the future of open source in Web3 and beyond.
Each resource is designed to share knowledge, spark ideas, and help projects apply proven models to their own ecosystems.
📖 Current Publications
1. Paid Open Source Model (POSM) Whitepaper
Published by Intersect MBO on Dec 20, 2024
Author: Christian Taylor and Tex McCutcheon
Contributors:
1) Diane Mueller: Managing Director, Research and Advisory Services, Bitergia
2) Georg Link, Ph.D.: Open Source Strategist / Director of Sales, Bitergia
3) Christian Grobmeier: Vice President Data Privacy, Apache Software Foundation
4) Silona Bonewald: Founder / President, Leadingbit Solutions
5) Hart Montgomery: CTO, Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust
6) Patrick Sheridan: CEO, Modus Create / Tweag
The Paid Open Source Model is a framework that blends community-driven development with structured funding to ensure long-term sustainability. This whitepaper explores:
- The challenges of maintainer burnout and underfunding.
- Funding programs like Maintainer Retainer, Code for Us, and Incubation.
- How governance and accountability strengthen open-source ecosystems.
👉 Read the POSM Whitepaper
🔜 Coming Soon
This section will grow as we publish more resources. Future additions may include:
Playbooks for sustainable ecosystem building.
Case studies of decentralized OSPOs (dOSPOs) in blockchain ecosystems.
Governance frameworks and contribution ladders.
Reports on open-source adoption in commercial environments.
Open Source Cowboy Consulting 