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§ masterplan.md

Open Source Manifesto

A brutalist manifesto site for an open-source project with raw monospace text, contribution graphs and license info.

All ideas
Brutalist

01

App overview and objectives

A project site whose front page is an argument, not a feature list: the manifesto first, then how to contribute, the roadmap in the open, licensing explained plainly, and sponsorship.

02

The problem worth solving

Open-source projects fail at recruitment, not at code. Leading with why the project exists attracts contributors who share the values, which is the only sustainable source of maintenance energy.

03

Target audience

  • Primary — Potential contributors deciding where to spend volunteer hours.
  • Secondary — Companies evaluating adoption and sponsorship.

04

Roles and permissions

  • Visitor — read-only public pages, can sign up.
  • Member — owns their own records, cannot see other users' data.

05

Core features

  • Manifesto as the landing page, readable in three minutes
  • Contribution guide with good-first-issue list pulled from the repository
  • Public roadmap with status and owner per item
  • Licence page in plain language plus the legal text
  • Sponsorship tiers with what the money actually pays for
  • Contributor wall generated from repository history

Deliberately later

  • Governance and voting records
  • Adoption case studies
  • Localised manifesto translations

06

Technical stack

Static site built from repository markdown, with build-time fetches of issues and contributors.

Why: Keeping content in the repository means contributors edit the site the same way they edit code, through pull requests.

Alternatives: A docs platform (great for reference, weak for argument) or a dynamic dashboard (live data, needs API tokens and uptime).

07

Conceptual data model

ManifestoSection — order, heading, body

RoadmapItem — title, status, owner, target, linked issue

Contributor — handle, commits, first contribution, role

SponsorTier — name, amount, benefits, current sponsors

08

Integrations

  • Repository API for issues and contributors
  • Sponsorship or payments platform
  • Documentation site link

09

UI design principles

  • Raw structure on display: visible grid, hard edges, black-on-white with one violent accent.
  • System or grotesque type at extreme sizes; no decoration that isn't structural.
  • Interactions are instant and blunt — no easing, no fades.

10

Security considerations

  • Build-time API tokens stored in the deployment environment, never in the repository.
  • Sponsor logos and links reviewed before publishing.
  • Security disclosure policy published with a contact address.

11

Development phases

Phase 1 — Prove the core

  • — Manifesto as the landing page, readable in three minutes
  • — Contribution guide with good-first-issue list pulled from the repository
  • — Public roadmap with status and owner per item
  • — Static content and design system in place
  • — Basic analytics

Phase 2 — Make it real

  • — Licence page in plain language plus the legal text
  • — Sponsorship tiers with what the money actually pays for
  • — Contributor wall generated from repository history
  • — Accounts, sign-in and password reset
  • — Empty, loading and error states everywhere

Phase 3 — Polish and launch

  • — Performance, accessibility and SEO pass
  • — Legal pages, contact route and 404 handling
  • — Wire up: Repository API for issues and contributors
  • — Wire up: Sponsorship or payments platform

Phase 4 — Grow

  • — Governance and voting records
  • — Adoption case studies
  • — Localised manifesto translations

12

Challenges and solutions

Risk — Manifesto ages badly

Solution — Date it, version it, and record changes publicly.

Risk — Good-first-issues go stale

Solution — Rebuild the site on a schedule and hide issues untouched for 60 days.

Risk — Contributor burnout

Solution — Publish maintainer capacity honestly and cap the roadmap to what is funded.

13

Future expansion

  • Foundation governance
  • Paid support directory
  • Annual community report

14

Page list (13 pages)

  1. 01 PUBLIC Manifesto — The argument for the project's existence.
  2. 02 PUBLIC Contribute — How to help, starting today.
  3. 03 PUBLIC Roadmap — What is planned and who owns it.
  4. 04 PUBLIC License — Plain-language rights and obligations.
  5. 05 PUBLIC Sponsor — Funding tiers and their use.
  6. 06 AUTH Sign up — Create an account with email or a social provider.
  7. 07 AUTH Log in — Return to the account, with error and lockout states.
  8. 08 AUTH Reset password — Request a reset link and set a new password.
  9. 09 APP (signed in) Account settings — Profile, email, password, language and delete account.
  10. 10 PUBLIC Contact — Contact form plus real address, phone and email.
  11. 11 LEGAL & SYSTEM Privacy policy — What data is collected, why, and how to remove it.
  12. 12 LEGAL & SYSTEM Terms of service — Rules of use, liability and account termination.
  13. 13 LEGAL & SYSTEM 404 not found — Friendly dead end with search and links back.

15

Page map

PUBLIC         AUTH               APP (signed in)      LEGAL & SYSTEM
─────────────  ─────────────────  ───────────────────  ───────────────────
├─ Manifesto   ├─ Sign up         └─ Account settings  ├─ Privacy policy
├─ Contribute  ├─ Log in                               ├─ Terms of service
├─ Roadmap     └─ Reset password                       └─ 404 not found
├─ License
├─ Sponsor
└─ Contact

key flows:
  Manifesto ──▶ Contribute
  Contribute ──▶ Roadmap
  Roadmap ──▶ Sponsor
  License ──▶ Contribute