Hi, I'm Vlad.
I work on protecting the Open Source infrastructure the world depends on.
I have been a programmer for 19 years, specialising in Open Source software, low-level programming, 3D graphics and web technologies.
I am also a PhD researcher in philosophy, working on the ethics and epistemology of Open Source software.
I celebrate playful, patient, high-effort craftsmanship; and value collective governance over alienated wage labour. I think that being kind is important, and I love cats and birds. I live in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Current Roles
A non-profit applied research lab ensuring the stability of the global Open Source ecosystem.
Creating a new social norm of companies paying Open Source maintainers.
The first endowment aiming to solve the global Open Source sustainability crisis.
Researching the ethics and epistemology of Open Source software.
Previous Roles
Helping companies identify and pay the maintainers they depend on.
A studio I spent 10 years running. We made software for the University of Oxford, the Gates Foundation etc.
We made a Game Boy cartridge reader to preserve your childhood save files.
Happening Now
Keep Things Open
I co-wrote an open letter asking the NHS not to close down its Open Source code.
Binary Dependencies
My FOSDEM talk about the invisible binary dependencies that threaten our infrastructure.
Open Source Security
I was interviewed by security expert Josh Bressers about the Open Source Pledge.
A Day Without Open Source
I tried to go for a day without Open Source — and failed.
“The ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make, and could just as easily make differently.”
Other Projects
Clumsy Computer
I teach others coding from first principles.
Peony Game Engine
A 3D game engine I built from scratch.
Ideology Research Group
A group I co-organise, studying ideology broadly construed.
Peony Software
Developing next-generation spreadsheet software.
Hare
A low-level programming language I worked on.
Low Carbon Software
A not-quite-yet collective researching reducing CO2 emissions caused by software.
Philosophy
Open Source Stewardship
Living Together
Software
Fun
Photos
Contact
86-90 Paul Street
EC2A 4NE
London, UK
“Philosophy is the ungainly attempt to tackle questions that come naturally to children, using methods that come naturally to lawyers.”
