Solving a Real Problem

When I took on RubyMoney, it was driven by a need in my day job for accurate financial calculations. The Money Gem existed, but it required enhancements for our complex needs. This need initiated a 15-year journey, transforming a simple improvement into a cornerstone of the Ruby community, evidenced by a staggering 150 million downloads.

RubyMoney's Evolution

Key milestones marked RubyMoney's growth: integrating with Rails, consolidating independent gems into the RubyMoney project, and evolving alongside Ruby's development. Particularly notable were two milestones: reaching 100 million downloads, a sign of growing influence, and then supporting Ruby 2.0, a large hurdle in all Gem's stories.

A Shared Ownership Approach to Community Building

The community has always been the heartbeat of RubyMoney. Contributors who any of their code merged were empowered to approve, merge, and release updates on their own. This approach turned RubyMoney into a collaborative project, fostering a sustainable and vibrant open-source community.

Navigating Technical Challenges

We were trying to support new Ruby versions while maintaining older versions posed significant challenges. We prioritized backward compatibility, valuing long-term code stability. This approach was essential in our smooth transition to Ruby 3.0 and in ingraining respect for legacy systems within our community.

Drawing Boundaries

After a decade, I realized the importance of setting boundaries to prevent burnout. I stopped engaging with issues that lacked pull requests, emphasizing the collaborative spirit of open-source and discouraging a sense of entitlement.

The Real-World Impact

The trust in RubyMoney by significant companies like Stripe and Shopify, who handle vast sums, speaks volumes about its reliability and effectiveness. This widespread adoption is a testament to the project's real-world impact and utility.

Guiding, Not Micromanaging

Leadership in RubyMoney was about setting a direction and letting the team take ownership. I learned the importance of self-care and pacing in open-source leadership to ensure the project's longevity and well-being.

Stability and Community-Driven Evolution

Today, RubyMoney is a stable and complete project, poised for long-term maintenance. Future enhancements will be community-driven, maintaining our commitment to stability and reliability.

Building Something That Lasts

Leading RubyMoney has been a journey of building something that transcends code: a robust community and a reliable tool that genuinely aids the Ruby ecosystem. It's been a fulfilling and impactful experience.