Tldr: you can bring your open source project to CNCF and if there are enough infra/platform developers vouching for it then you can become an incubated project.
After that, there is a bunch of boxes (traction, integration, stability) that you need to check before CNCF endorses you as a graduated project.
But what does it actually mean? Is this in incubator in the same sense as a startup incubator? This just sounds like a popularity contest, where the winners get a stamp of approval from the CNCF, provided you play by their rules. What value does the CNCF add?
Think of it as process maturity. They don't want to just rubber-stamp some company's project as a "CNCF" project, only to have it collapse when the company pulls employees off it.
Also a lot of projects in sandbox or incubation are “finding themselves” so to speak. It’s what used to happen when a project would release a v1 that’s really mostly a POC, then have some major overhauls/rewrite in v2/v3. At least in theory by “graduation” or v3, you know that this thing has a non-trivial user base, fairly defined in what it does and how it does it. Some independent reviews and established patterns etc.
Nothing protecting them from rotting or dying or breaking obviously, but at least you know you won’t be shouting at it alone.
A “graduated” project might find it easier to get adoption, contributors, as the guarantees (stability, integrity, security, governance) are some of the criterion that org use while deciding on tooling.
It’s basically saying: If you were shying away from using Istio in production, we graduated, take a look now?
The graduation criteria I care about is "Have completed an independent and third party security audit". Lots of software in the cloud native world puts security in the back seat sadly!
It's about the modern day J2EE - Kubernetes. Approximately the same cost per "getting something done" ratio. Exactly the same kind of orgs (both on the seller and buyer sides). I hear the money is good though, if you're into that kind of slow work.
I know and understand both technologies in enough detail, thank you. They were/are abused as instruments of complexity by consulting firms. They are both fantastic at this purpose.
Of course it's also possible to use this tech to actually get stuff done. But that's not what it's widely used for in this consulting environment.
The typical end-customer is you (the tax payer.) You have no influence over what you paid for, though. Also: it's a recurring cost, like Netflix. It doesn't really stop...
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Enough searching around told me what CNCF is, but I still don't know what it means to "graduate"
You can read more about incubated and graduates CNCF projects here: https://www.cncf.io/projects/
Tldr: you can bring your open source project to CNCF and if there are enough infra/platform developers vouching for it then you can become an incubated project. After that, there is a bunch of boxes (traction, integration, stability) that you need to check before CNCF endorses you as a graduated project.
But what does it actually mean? Is this in incubator in the same sense as a startup incubator? This just sounds like a popularity contest, where the winners get a stamp of approval from the CNCF, provided you play by their rules. What value does the CNCF add?
Think of it as process maturity. They don't want to just rubber-stamp some company's project as a "CNCF" project, only to have it collapse when the company pulls employees off it.
As a gatekeeper (and as a result, status, attention, prestige, etc.)
Funding can be attained more readily if you have a project that reaches any of these stages.
So it's just a stamp of approval?
Also a lot of projects in sandbox or incubation are “finding themselves” so to speak. It’s what used to happen when a project would release a v1 that’s really mostly a POC, then have some major overhauls/rewrite in v2/v3. At least in theory by “graduation” or v3, you know that this thing has a non-trivial user base, fairly defined in what it does and how it does it. Some independent reviews and established patterns etc.
Nothing protecting them from rotting or dying or breaking obviously, but at least you know you won’t be shouting at it alone.
Sort of. It's also a statement of maturity.
And of funding. Some of the hoops such as a 3rd party audit are _not_ cheap
there are 3 stages of a CNCF project: incubation,sandbox,graduated
for each there are conditions, including number of contributors, number of companies oficially backing it, etc.
Why would you want this?
A “graduated” project might find it easier to get adoption, contributors, as the guarantees (stability, integrity, security, governance) are some of the criterion that org use while deciding on tooling.
It’s basically saying: If you were shying away from using Istio in production, we graduated, take a look now?
The graduation criteria I care about is "Have completed an independent and third party security audit". Lots of software in the cloud native world puts security in the back seat sadly!
It's a statement that it's not some personal project and it is backed more or less consistently by a bunch of people.
Funding can be attained more readily if you have a project that reaches any of these stages.
What are some major CNCF projects that have gotten investor funding in the last year?
It's about the modern day J2EE - Kubernetes. Approximately the same cost per "getting something done" ratio. Exactly the same kind of orgs (both on the seller and buyer sides). I hear the money is good though, if you're into that kind of slow work.
You might not know what J2EE or Kubernetes do if you compare them like that.
I know and understand both technologies in enough detail, thank you. They were/are abused as instruments of complexity by consulting firms. They are both fantastic at this purpose.
Of course it's also possible to use this tech to actually get stuff done. But that's not what it's widely used for in this consulting environment.
The typical end-customer is you (the tax payer.) You have no influence over what you paid for, though. Also: it's a recurring cost, like Netflix. It doesn't really stop...
The problem you're describing is consultancies, not Kubernetes.
Yeah, but like J2EE, Kubernetes will become synonymous with waste [in the public sector] in about 5-10 years from now.
I mean, you've got to admit, it's a repeat of history?