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Borr Project: One Year Review

· 6 min read
Pulkit Krishna
Pulkit Krishna

Introduction​

This post is a month late. It has been seven months since the last blog post, and a lot has happened in that time.

Coursera Problem​

In the previous post, we announced the issue with Coursera dependencies. Over the past months, we have mostly overcome that problem in the Computer Science curriculum.

  • All Coursera courses in Core CS have now been replaced, either with the same course hosted on a free platform, or with a suitable alternative course or textbook.
  • This was a massive undertaking, and we’re deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to identifying and evaluating replacement platforms and courses.
  • The Coursera issue also caused problems in the Data Science curriculum, delaying its release.

Move to CS2023​

We also announced in the last post that we would be updating to CS2023 guidelines. A lot has been done in that regard:

  • Several courses were moved to better fit CS2023.
  • A couple of courses about AI were added, as coverage of the topic has grown in CS2023.
    • We remain a rigorous computer science roadmap. This does not change.
    • We will not become a “vibecoding” roadmap. AI is covered as an algorithms field, and in the last class of Core CS, LLMs are introduced as tools that experienced programmers can use.
  • A long‑due Human–Computer Interaction course was added.

Moving to the New Domain​

We now have a dedicated domain: borr.dev.

  • It’s short enough to say verbatim when recommending Borr to friends.
  • It also allows us to provide one more way to contact the admins: admins@borr.dev.

Netlify Open Source Plan​

Hosting has migrated from GitHub Pages → Netlify.

  • This unlocks automatic preview generation for pull requests, making it easier to test, review, and collaborate before merging.
  • Netlify has generously granted us their Open Source plan, with generous limits that give us plenty of room to grow.
  • A huge thank‑you to Netlify for supporting our project and helping us collaborate more effectively.
  • This recognition shows that we are being acknowledged as a viable open source project.

Open Source Collective​

We are not a registered legal organization, nor a legal entity. But the Open Source Collective (OSC) has accepted us and now acts as our legal entity and fiscal host.

  • This recognition places us among elite company: The Odin Project, Logseq, Dark Reader, LibreCAD, Jellyfin, OBS Studio, PHP Foundation, FDroid, cURL, Vue, Manjaro OS, Asahi Linux, Eleventy, Solus, Mastodon, neovim, and many more.
  • This allows us to collect donations to support sustainability.
  • Funds will only be used for essentials like renewing the domain and other improvements that help the project grow.
  • OSC has already helped us secure the borr.dev domain.
  • Donations are optional. No one should feel obligated. Every bit goes directly into strengthening the project.
  • Donate via our collective: https://opencollective.com/tbp
  • Budget and transactions: https://opencollective.com/tbp#category-BUDGET
  • Another way to donate is through GitHub Sponsors: https://github.com/sponsors/BorrProject.
    • GitHub has native integration with the Open Source Collective, so money donated via GitHub Sponsors also goes directly to OSC, which acts as our fiscal host.
    • This means whether you donate via Open Collective or GitHub Sponsors, the funds are handled transparently and can only be used to improve the project.
  • We are not seeking monetary profit. None of the admins receive donated funds. All donations go to OSC, which approves payments for submitted expenses.
  • OSC has strict rules: funds can only be used to make the project better. Rules: https://docs.oscollective.org/for-hosted-member-projects/spending-money-and-getting-paid/expense-policies-and-limitations
  • All transactions are transparently available on our collective page.

Governance Structure​

This was mentioned as a goal in the last blog post.

  • We have now formalized a governance structure for the Borr Project.
  • Governance was one of the main reasons we split from OSSU.
  • We don’t think we need something very formal right now for a community of our size.
  • But we now have concrete plans for how we will function once our community grows, with special emphasis on avoiding the OSSU situation.
  • We are also working on an internal website documenting all services, processes, and tools. This ensures future leaders won’t face the same problems OSSU did, where knowledge was passed orally and often led to miscommunication.

Upcoming Big Curriculum Changes​

  • We almost have a draft for the Data Science curriculum ready and will push it for review on GitHub in a few days.
  • Overhauling the Math curriculum is in progress. We have a WIP design to restructure it into multiple pages, similar to what we did with CS and Pre‑College Math.

Plans for the Future​

Many of the tasks we set as goals in the previous post are still on our to‑do list. They haven’t been forgotten — they’re simply waiting for their turn in the spotlight. Here’s what’s coming down the pipeline:

  • Developing comprehensive “Setting Up Your Development Environment” guides, inspired by The Odin Project. Because let’s face it, everyone deserves a smooth start instead of wrestling with broken installs.
  • Creating a showcase board where students can share their curriculum work and projects. Think of it as our brag wall — a place to celebrate what you’ve built.
  • Organizing focus groups (tutors, website maintainers, curriculum maintainers, etc.) and assigning roles. The idea is to make sure everyone knows who’s steering which ship, so we don’t end up with chaos in the harbor.
  • Continuing to host more server events and group activities, because learning together is always more fun than grinding alone.

And now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: marketing the Borr Project.

We know OSSU is still the big name out there. It’s a trusted brand, and people keep joining its server even though the community isn’t in great shape anymore. Meanwhile, Borr is stronger, fresher, and better organized — but our numbers are smaller, and word‑of‑mouth hasn’t yet caught up.

That said, the tide is turning. Recently, Borr Project was included on fmhy.net, replacing OSSU as the primary source. It’s a small step, but it’s proof that recognition is growing.

Here’s where you come in: help spread the word. Talk about Borr Project in the right places. Share it with friends, colleagues, and communities that care about open education. Every mention helps.

Together, we can make Borr Project not just an alternative to OSSU, but the go‑to roadmap for serious learners everywhere.

Closing Thoughts​

Looking back, this first year was a wild ride full of big hurdles, major wins, and constant learning. Between replacing Coursera courses, aligning with CS2023, securing borr.dev, and joining the Open Source Collective, we’ve shown that Borr is here to stay.

The energy from this community, the hard work from our contributors, and the support we've received prove we’re building something real.

Here’s to year two! Let’s keep building together.