--- type: "article" title: "You all told me I was wrong. You were right" summary: "I asked about open source. The answers blew my mind" newsletter: "The Weekly Shift" newsletter_handle: "franmendez" newsletter_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/franmendez" author: "Fran Mendez (@fmvilas)" published: "2026-02-20T13:00:00.000Z" canonical_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/franmendez/a/you-all-told-me-i-was-wrong-you-were-right" markdown_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/franmendez/a/you-all-told-me-i-was-wrong-you-were-right.md" chat_url: "https://usecommune.com/n/franmendez/a/you-all-told-me-i-was-wrong-you-were-right/chat" source_url: "https://newsletter.fmvilas.me/posts/you-all-told-me-i-was-wrong-you-were-right" body_source: "imported" likes: 8 replies: 3 body_words: 538 --- # You all told me I was wrong. You were right ![The Weekly Shift](https://embed.filekitcdn.com/e/tppsnKSSV6RtcQVLeDZHT8/5nEuhXaXN7FANZ4f1qdrrM?auto=) In my last issue, I asked you a simple question: should I make Commune open source? I got a lot of responses on Commune (yay!) and over on LinkedIn. Honestly, the feedback blew my mind. I expected everyone to shout a resounding yes. That absolutely was not the case. I was surprised most of you recommended I avoid it. Incredible. That included a lot of people in my network who have spent years maintaining open source projects or building open source products. I definitely did not expect that. I have been thoroughly reading your comments and recommendations. You all make rock-solid points. You warned me about the unnecessary complexities of an open source business model. Adding to that complexity, going open source right now would likely mean making Commune distributed. I would have to wire it up using a social protocol like ActivityPub (Mastodon) or Atproto (Bluesky), and that is definitely not a top priority right now. You also pointed out the hostility in the open source world lately. A huge issue right now is the AI slop. People are using agents to make a ton of automated contributions to different repos, and it usually results in more spam than actual usefulness. **Why did I want to make it open-source?** Having time to reflect, I asked myself why I wanted to make it open source in the first place. What triggered that in me? I think it comes down to the urge to make Commune grow as quickly as possible. We engineers have a terrible tendency to solve sales problems with code. If nobody wants to use our product, we think we just need to add one more feature and they will show up. I was trying to solve a problem with the wrong tool just because I am super comfortable using open source. Instead, what I actually need to do is reach out. A lot. I need to message everyone I know and let them know about Commune. I need to ask for favors when needed. I have to reach out to totally unknown people too. I need to do the uncomfortable job. I am incredibly proud of why I built Commune. I wanted to turn my newsletter into a real community and help you do the exact same thing. But I still had to prove to myself that it would actually work for my own case. Well, it is working. I am super happy to see us all chatting and bouncing ideas around. Some of you are even talking directly to each other without me stepping in at all. That is true community! I just need to relax and keep beating the drum. We are barely one month in and the signs are huge. That said, open sourcing Commune is not a totally crazy idea. Even if I shelve it for now, it is absolutely still on the roadmap. Perhaps I never do it. Maybe I do it in a few months. Who knows! I am not going to lie. The existence of a libre alternative to Substack really lights my heart. But I have to try things differently this time. [![](https://embed.filekitcdn.com/e/tppsnKSSV6RtcQVLeDZHT8/iYVeBBdX9PBD4L4DZVyk1o)](https://usecommune.com/n/franmendez?article_timestamp=1771591564) [![linkedin](https://functions-js.kit.com/icons?icon=linkedin&foreground=ffffff&background=153461&shape=square&v=3)​](https://linkedin.com/in/fmvilas)[![youtube](https://functions-js.kit.com/icons?icon=youtube&foreground=ffffff&background=153461&shape=square&v=3)​](https://youtube.com/@fmvilas)[![github](https://functions-js.kit.com/icons?icon=github&foreground=ffffff&background=153461&shape=square&v=3)​](https://github.com/fmvilas) Av. Joaquín Costa, 16, Badajoz, Badajoz 06001 ​[Unsubscribe](https://preview.convertkit-mail2.com/unsubscribe) · [Preferences](https://preview.convertkit-mail2.com/preferences)​ *** ## Discussion (3 replies) Numbering shows the reply tree: `2.1` is a reply to `2`. Message text is reproduced verbatim as posted. ### 1. Fran Mendez (@fmvilas) - 2026-02-20T13:50:06.706Z It's amazing how easy it is to jump into quick decisions for the wrong reasons. Luckily, one learns over the years to listen to these signs 😅 ### 2. Kin Lane (@kinlane) - 2026-02-20T15:21:31.844Z You are doing the hard work on who you are right now. Let’s acknwowldge that a significant portion of who you are has been shaped by open-source technology. Open-source is a substantial part of your identity, which you are exploring and questioning right now. As I think many of us are in this moment. And I think this what should be happening as AI threatens much of who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be. I am on the same journey. I have been for some time. I am questioning the role of the Internet as part of my identity, as well as questioning API and open-source, which are both substantial portions of my identity in 2026. Internet, nor API, nor open-source have achieved what I envisioned throughout this century. However, I have achieved more than I could have envisioned as a human, individual, and professional. What does this mean? IDK. Let you know when I figure it out. I don't think the answers lie in open or not. I don't think the answers lie in licensing. I think they lie in community. Which is offline and online. I think there is a lot of power in open-source, but I think there is more power in the people, relationships, and community. Which I think you are tapping into right now with Commune. There will be time for open, but there is a serious storm blowing outside right now, and I think it requires very thoughtful openness. Open has been coopted in many harmful ways right now. Let's be cautious and intentional. ### 3. Steven Willmott (@njyx) - 2026-02-20T19:55:06.013Z Important debate for sure ... as I said in my original comment I think it might be significantly more important to have open interfaces than open-source code. People way well be able to vibe code their own client overnight in the not too distant future or vibe code it *into* whatever client they are using. The actual open source code would help but it may not be the important part.