The COSS Standard: Our Core Principles

The Contriboss (COSS) Standard is defined by a set of five core principles. These principles are the bedrock of the COSS initiative, guiding projects that wish to bear the COSS Mark and signaling a commitment to a more open, neutral, and interoperable technology ecosystem.

Adherence to these principles is what gives the COSS Mark its meaning and assures users and developers that a project is genuinely dedicated to fostering trust, user freedom, and robust standardization.

COSS.toml Metadata Standard

COSS projects include standardized metadata in a coss.toml file to help AI tools understand project structure, build processes, and conventions without guesswork. This reduces computational waste and enables more accurate AI assistance. Download template

The Five Core Principles of COSS

Below is an overview of each principle. Click on any principle to learn more about its specific requirements, rationale, and importance within the COSS framework.

Principle 1: Universal Access

Summary: Ensuring that the standard, generally available version of a COSS-branded project provides universal access to all individuals and entities, without discriminatory restrictions imposed by the project itself.

Keywords: Accessibility, Non-discrimination, Inclusivity.

Principle 2: Anti-Vendor Lock-in & Neutral Naming

Summary: Requiring projects to be architected against vendor lock-in in their core functionality and to use neutral, generic, or community-standardized names for core components and protocols.

Keywords: Neutrality, Interoperability, User Choice, Open Standards, Fair Competition.

Principle 3: Optional Dependencies & Ecosystem Compatibility

Summary: Permitting adapters or plugins to third-party code only if the core project functions without them, and ensuring that any bundled code has a compatible license and respects the core project’s openness.

Keywords: Modularity, Flexibility, License Compatibility, Clear Boundaries.

Principle 4: Modular Scope for Standardization

Summary: Encouraging projects to represent composable building blocks with well-defined scopes, aimed at promoting standardization, particularly for AI-era workflows.

Keywords: Composability, Defined Scope, Reusability, Standardization.

Principle 5: Contributor Ethics within COSS-branded Projects

Summary: Requiring that contributions to COSS-branded projects do not intentionally subvert the COSS principles, introduce sabotage, DRM, or politically/religiously motivated alterations that undermine neutrality.

Keywords: Integrity, Trust, Responsible Development, Neutrality.

Understanding the Principles in Depth

Each of these principles is further detailed in the “COSS Brand Usage Guidelines”. We encourage project maintainers, contributors, and users to familiarize themselves with these principles to fully understand the commitment signified by the COSS Mark.

By upholding these principles, COSS-branded projects contribute to a technology landscape that is more fair, innovative, and empowering for everyone.