index.html

---
layout: default
title: Open Source Transition
banner: true
description: >-
  On September 30, 2026, EDG's C++ front end went open source, with The C++
  Alliance as its nonprofit home. What changes for EDG users, how to
  contribute, and where to follow the work.
---
<section class="hero" aria-labelledby="hero-title">
  <div class="container">
    <p class="eyebrow eyebrow--on-dark">The EDG open source transition</p>
    <h1 id="hero-title">EDG is open source.</h1>
    <p class="lead">On September 30, 2026, the source for EDG's C++ front end went public, and The C++ Alliance became its nonprofit home. Same engine, same standards, professionally maintained, and open to contributions.</p>
    <div class="hero__actions">
      <a class="button button--primary" href="{{ site.github_url }}">Follow along on GitHub</a>
      <a class="button button--ghost" href="#transition">Read the plan</a>
    </div>
    <div class="callout callout--on-dark">
      <p><strong>Continuity is the point.</strong> This is a change of steward, not a change of course.</p>
    </div>
  </div>
</section>

<section id="history" class="section" aria-labelledby="history-title">
  <div class="container">
    <p class="eyebrow">Part one</p>
    <h2 id="history-title">The history of EDG</h2>
    <p class="section__lead">For thirty years, EDG's front end has powered C++ compilation across the industry as the only production-quality source-to-source engine of its kind.</p>

    <!--
      PLACEHOLDER. Replace this block with the EDG history once it has been
      collected: founding, key people, front-end milestones, and the compilers
      and tools built on top of it.
    -->
    <div class="placeholder">
      <p class="placeholder__label">Coming soon</p>
      <h3>The full story is still being written</h3>
      <p>This section will cover EDG's founding, the people behind it, the milestones of its front end, and the compilers and tools built on top of it. Have a piece of that history to share? <a href="{{ site.repo_url }}/issues">Open an issue</a> on the site's repository.</p>
    </div>
  </div>
</section>

<section id="transition" class="section section--alt" aria-labelledby="transition-title">
  <div class="container">
    <p class="eyebrow">Part two</p>
    <h2 id="transition-title">EDG after September 30</h2>
    <p class="section__lead">When the source went public on September 30, 2026, professional maintenance had to continue. EDG needed a new home that could do three things at once.</p>

    <div class="grid grid--3">
      <article class="card">
        <p class="card__number">01</p>
        <h3>Fiscal sponsorship</h3>
        <p>Receive and manage donations on behalf of EDG.</p>
      </article>
      <article class="card">
        <p class="card__number">02</p>
        <h3>Technical continuity</h3>
        <p>Sustain the engineering quality EDG users depend on.</p>
      </article>
      <article class="card">
        <p class="card__number">03</p>
        <h3>Domain expertise</h3>
        <p>C++ compiler front-end knowledge, from the inside.</p>
      </article>
    </div>

    <div class="split">
      <div>
        <h3>Why The C++ Alliance</h3>
        <p>The C++ Alliance is a nonprofit with proven fiscal-sponsorship infrastructure, C++ compiler engineers on staff, and deep roots in the C++ standards and Boost communities. It now serves as EDG's nonprofit home.</p>
        <p><a href="{{ site.alliance_url }}">Learn more about The C++ Alliance</a></p>
      </div>
      <ul class="checklist">
        <li>Fiscal sponsor of the Boost C++ Libraries since 2024</li>
        <li>LLVM committers with direct Clang front-end contributions</li>
        <li>Published transparency reports</li>
      </ul>
    </div>
  </div>
</section>

<section id="model" class="section" aria-labelledby="model-title">
  <div class="container">
    <p class="eyebrow">How it works</p>
    <h2 id="model-title">Three tracks, one codebase</h2>
    <p class="section__lead">EDG now works like any other open source project: anyone can contribute, and everything that lands is available to everyone. Development follows three tracks: contributions from the user community, ongoing maintenance, and collectively funded features.</p>

    <div class="grid grid--3">
      <article class="card card--track">
        <p class="card__label">Track 1</p>
        <h3>Community contributions</h3>
        <p>Bug fixes and new features from EDG users, submitted as pull requests. Reviewers, who are initially experienced EDG developers, evaluate the changes. Once approved, these changes are merged into the EDG codebase.</p>
      </article>
      <article class="card card--track">
        <p class="card__label">Track 2</p>
        <h3>Maintenance: always open</h3>
        <p>Bug fixes and maintenance by the Alliance's EDG developers are published immediately.</p>
      </article>
      <article class="card card--track">
        <p class="card__label">Track 3</p>
        <h3>Features: collectively funded</h3>
        <p>To support the EDG community, the Alliance will provide a way for larger features to be developed and funded by the community. In this way, organizations can support the development of larger features financially rather than committing their developers to the development of these features. Once a feature is funded, it is released to everyone at the same time.</p>
      </article>
    </div>

    <div class="callout">
      <p><strong>One codebase, for everyone.</strong> Whichever track a change arrives on, it lands in the same public repository at the same time. No one gets early access.</p>
    </div>

    <div class="split">
      <div>
        <h3>Who oversees the process</h3>
        <p>The Fiscal Sponsorship Committee (FSC) oversees the process across all three tracks. It is chaired by John Spicer and will include volunteers from the EDG user community.</p>
        <p>Want a say in who sits on it? <a href="#next-steps">See how to get involved</a>.</p>
      </div>
      <ul class="checklist">
        <li>Chaired by John Spicer</li>
        <li>Includes volunteers from the EDG user community</li>
        <li>Oversees how contributions are reviewed and merged</li>
        <li>Sets priorities for maintenance and new features</li>
      </ul>
    </div>
  </div>
</section>

<section id="users" class="section section--alt" aria-labelledby="users-title">
  <div class="container">
    <p class="eyebrow">What this means for you</p>
    <h2 id="users-title">What changes, and what doesn't</h2>
    <p class="section__lead">The engine, the standards it implements, and the person you talk to stay the same. How the work is funded and where the code lives do not.</p>

    <div class="table-wrap">
      <table class="compare">
        <thead>
          <tr>
            <th scope="col"><span class="visually-hidden">Area</span></th>
            <th scope="col">Licensed model</th>
            <th scope="col" class="compare__new">Open source model</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr>
            <th scope="row">Source code</th>
            <td data-label="Licensed model">Proprietary, available under license</td>
            <td data-label="Open source model" class="compare__new">Public, at <a href="{{ site.compiler_url }}">github.com/edgcpp/compiler</a></td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <th scope="row">Funding</th>
            <td data-label="Licensed model">Annual license fees</td>
            <td data-label="Open source model" class="compare__new">Alliance development is funded by tax-deductible contributions from the community</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <th scope="row">Development</th>
            <td data-label="Licensed model">The EDG team</td>
            <td data-label="Open source model" class="compare__new">EDG developers hired by The C++ Alliance, plus contributions from the EDG user community</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <th scope="row">Point of contact</th>
            <td data-label="Licensed model">John Spicer</td>
            <td data-label="Open source model" class="compare__new">John Spicer, as Chair of the Fiscal Sponsorship Committee</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <th scope="row">Lock-in</th>
            <td data-label="Licensed model">Not applicable</td>
            <td data-label="Open source model" class="compare__new">None. Exit at any time.</td>
          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>
    </div>
  </div>
</section>

<section id="next-steps" class="section" aria-labelledby="next-steps-title">
  <div class="container">
    <p class="eyebrow">Get involved</p>
    <h2 id="next-steps-title">Next steps</h2>
    <p class="section__lead">The source is now public. Here is where things stand, and how EDG users can take part.</p>

    <ol class="steps">
      <li>
        <span class="steps__number" aria-hidden="true">01</span>
        <div>
          <h3>John Spicer led the transition</h3>
          <p>Available now to walk any user through the details of the hand-off.</p>
        </div>
      </li>
      <li>
        <span class="steps__number" aria-hidden="true">02</span>
        <div>
          <h3>Your input shapes the committee</h3>
          <p>EDG user feedback on the composition of the Fiscal Sponsorship Committee and on development priorities is welcome. The committee will include volunteers from the EDG user community.</p>
        </div>
      </li>
      <li>
        <span class="steps__number" aria-hidden="true">03</span>
        <div>
          <h3>Contribute code</h3>
          <p>Now that the source is public, bug fixes and new features from EDG users are welcome as pull requests at <a href="{{ site.compiler_url }}">github.com/edgcpp/compiler</a>. <a href="#model">See how contributions are handled</a>.</p>
        </div>
      </li>
      <li>
        <span class="steps__number" aria-hidden="true">04</span>
        <div>
          <h3>Join the conversation</h3>
          <p>CppLang Slack for real-time chat. <a href="{{ site.slack_url }}">Request an invite</a>, then join the <code>#edgcpp</code> channel.</p>
          <!--
            TODO: once there are more repositories under github.com/edgcpp,
            also point people to GitHub issues and discussions here.
          -->
        </div>
      </li>
      <li>
        <span class="steps__number" aria-hidden="true">05</span>
        <div>
          <h3>Talk to us directly</h3>
          <p>Any EDG stakeholder can reach the Alliance team, any time. <a href="{{ site.alliance_url }}/#contact">Contact The C++ Alliance</a>.</p>
        </div>
      </li>
    </ol>
  </div>
</section>

<section class="cta" aria-labelledby="cta-title">
  <div class="container cta__inner">
    <div>
      <h2 id="cta-title">Follow the work on GitHub</h2>
      <p>EDG's source and development have moved to github.com/edgcpp. Watch the organization to follow the work as it happens.</p>
    </div>
    <a class="button button--primary" href="{{ site.github_url }}">Go to github.com/edgcpp</a>
  </div>
</section>