Ruff's governance model and a path forward for disrupted projects

[mistercrunch]

After watching this video by Anthony Sottile (I believe he's a maintainer behind some of the projects Ruff is re-implementing in Rust), I thought it’d be helpful to open a discussion around the governance model of the Astral-maintained projects and the approach to the maintainers/packages that are potentially getting displaced by the rise of Ruff.

First, I want to say that, as a user, I’m thrilled with this federated, blazing-fast toolkit for Python. Ruff is impressive, no doubt. That said, I empathize with the maintainers of the projects it's disrupting. Clearly, Ruff and Rust offer a strong foundation for some of the goals these tools pursue, but I’m wondering what the best path forward looks like for the broader community. If I were in Anthony’s shoes (or any of the other maintainers’), I’d be asking: "What does this mean for my projects?" "Why should I keep investing time in my (potentially fading) projects?" "Should I start contributing to Ruff?" "Do I even want to learn Rust?" "Will my contributions be recognized and accepted?" "What about my users who don’t want to switch?"

I think it’s important to clarify the governance model for Ruff and establish some clear rules of engagement for the maintainers of impacted packages. If they’re considering joining forces, understanding how the project is run and how they could fit in is crucial. Ideally, we’d avoid duplicating efforts and create a transparent path for collaboration under this new umbrella.

Some governance-related questions:

• When disagreements occur in the community, how is consensus reached?
• Is there a path to earn enough merit to gain influence or write access in this repo?
• What’s the long-term scope of Ruff? Where does open source end, and commercialization start for Astral?
• Are there pathways for Python developers unfamiliar with Rust to contribute effectively? Any plans to offer mentoring or training?

I’m also curious about how Astral plans to engage with and support maintainers of displaced projects:

• Is there an effort to provide roles or transition opportunities for them?
• How does Astral plan to maintain a balance between commercial interests and community-driven development as Ruff evolves?
• Are there guidelines to keep the community inclusive and welcoming, ensuring diverse contributors have equal opportunities?

I think it’d be valuable for folks at Astral to outline how displaced projects can integrate with or work alongside Ruff. Forming a coalition or a forum where maintainers can discuss potential integrations or consolidations could be a win-win for everyone involved.

Looking forward to hearing thoughts and perspectives.