--- title: "Software engineer & open-source contributor" description: "Brent Toderash — software engineer, open-source contributor, and writer based in Winnipeg." x-markdown-tokens: 1956 --- You have reached # Brent Toderash Technologist & Open Source Advocate; Leader. Thinker. Contributor. ![Brent Toderash at CloudFest, holding a microphone while speaking.](/src/assets/media/brent-toderash-cloudfest-hackathon-rust-2026.jpg) Photo: Roan de Vries ## Think. Build. Write. _Shuffle. Repeat._ - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenttoderash/) - [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net) - [Mastodon](https://mastodon.cloud/@toderash) - [X-Twitter](https://x.com/toderash) - [GitHub](https://github.com/toderash) - [YAWP.foo](https://yawp.foo) ![](/src/assets/media/brt_profile_sq.jpg) Seems like everyone's taking a WordPress pause and building static html sites again. Not to be outdone, I built this one with [Astro](https://astro.build/), [Tina](https://tina.io/), [Git](https://git-scm.com/), & [Vim](https://www.vim.org/). Claude helped out (of course), and Gemini chipped in with some image generation. Yes, I can write my posts from the command line. Also visit [YAWP.foo](https://yawp.foo), a part-time writing project on recovering the fundamentals of open source, with applications to the WordPress ecosystem. ## Written Here [More Words →](/blog) [![](/src/assets/media/public-procurement-maze_dimestore.og.png)](/blog/open-source-is-not-enough) ## [Open Source is Not Enough](/blog/open-source-is-not-enough) In response to Joost de Valk's post saying that open source is the right start but not enough, I suggest some conditions needed for healthy open source projects. Without proper governance and a model that ensures sustainability, a briefcase full of funding could kill a project as easily as stimulating it. [Read Post ⟶](/blog/open-source-is-not-enough) OSS Sustainability 24 May 2026 [![](/src/assets/media/tangled-web-of-trust_supply-chain_dimestore.og.png)](/blog/security-trust-oss-supply-chain) ## [Security & Trust in OSS Supply Chains](/blog/security-trust-oss-supply-chain) Supply chain security ensures you get what you asked for, but not whether what you asked for is safe. Establishing trust in software requires verifiable provenance with cryptographically attributable identity for the publisher. [Read Post ⟶](/blog/security-trust-oss-supply-chain) Supply Chain 22 May 2026 [![](/src/assets/media/typo3-summit-dinner-group-atlanta-2026.jpg)](/blog/kairos-being-in-the-room) ## [Kairos: Being in the Room](/blog/kairos-being-in-the-room) A modest May 2026 gathering in Atlanta felt like a seminal moment for the open source enterprise CMS market in North America, which is currently facing uncertainty and upheaval. TYPO3 is stepping in boldly. [Read Post ⟶](/blog/kairos-being-in-the-room) TYPO3 21 May 2026 ## Written There [Full index →](/writing) - FAIR.pm Jan 2026 ### [2025 FAIR Recap](https://fair.pm/blog/2026/01/25/2025-fair-recap/) At the start of 2026, a look back at what we achieved during 2025, from conversation through launch with several active projects. - FAIR.pm Jan 2026 ### [FAIR Roadmap for 2026](https://fair.pm/about/roadmap/) An outline of ambitious plans for 2026. As things have played out, some significant disruption during the first quarter of the year meant shifting some priorities and adjusting the pace of certain goals. - Modern Earth Blog Oct 2025 ### [WordCamp Canada 2025 Recap](https://modernearth.net/wordcamp-canada-2025-recap/) A brief recap of WordCamp Canada (WCEH) 2025, where I spoke about software supply chain security and the need for a federated, distributed model for WordPress, as AspirePress and FAIR have designed and built. - Modern Earth Blog Oct 2024 ### [Storms of WordPress Controversy](https://modernearth.net/storms-of-wordpress-controversy/) At WordCamp USA in late September 2024, Matt Mullenweg launched an attack on WP Engine, labelled them a bad actor for not contributing enough to WordPress development. One thing leads to another, and blocking their access to the WordPress repository results in a lawsuit. What to make of it all? - Modern Earth Blog Sep 2024 ### [Building Websites for Accessibility](https://modernearth.net/building-websites-for-accessibility/) Accessibility standards are being introduced as regulatory requirements in legislation across many jusrisdictions, and website owners need to be aware of their obligations. Websites need to be not just easy to use, they need to be easy for _everyone_ to use. That’s accessibility, in a nutshell. - Modern Earth Blog May 2023 ### [WordPress: 20 Years & Into the Future](https://modernearth.net/wordpress-years-into-future/) On the 20th anniversary of WordPress, I reflect on using WordPress over all that time and even back into its pre-history. I offer 6 favourite features and 6 least-favourite features of the platform. - Modern Earth Blog Oct 2021 ### [Technical Debt & Why it Matters](https://modernearth.net/technical-debt-why-matters/) Whether it's deliberate, inadvertent, or just plain old entropy sneaking up to bite you, even websites can accumulate technical debt. ## Offhand Remarks [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net) May 2, 2026 [Permalink](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net/post/3mkuxne4shs2s) ⏵ Agency has always been my leading argument for OSS (#FLOSS). Spend a half-hour with @joost.blog's joost.blog/open-source-... to learn why. (Disambiguaton: "agency" is used in the sense of "capacity" or liberty, libre, not for a consulting firm.) [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net) May 2, 2026 [Permalink](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net/post/3mkuxdtsbns2s) ⏵ "Given enough AIs, all bugs are shallow." [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net) Apr 29, 2026 [Permalink](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net/post/3mkonzjrzkk2x) ⏵ Sweet. Who's doing this? [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net) Apr 29, 2026 [Permalink](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net/post/3mkn34zbhrs2e) ⏵ My daughter called me the Nick Fury of the Software Avengers, and I'm like ... 🤷‍♂️ [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net) Apr 17, 2026 [Permalink](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net/post/3mjpvkhwjkc25) ⏵ In case anyone needs to know, if your wife tells you, "It would be nice to have a husband who could be relied upon to respond to text messages," the correct response is apparently not "How would you know?" [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net) Apr 3, 2026 [Permalink](https://bsky.app/profile/toderash.net/post/3mimp3e5ygc2k) ⏵ Not saying this coffee is too strong, just that it's not for amateurs. Friends, Collaborators, & Recommended Reading - [Carrie Dils](https://carriedils.com/) I Worked with Carrie on FAIR & we co-led the first CloudFest Hackathon in Miami. - [Chris Reynolds](https://jazzsequence.com/) After a bunch of other things, Chris now does dev-rel at Pantheon, plus [Community + Code](https://www.youtube.com/@communitycode) & other [insightful posts](https://dragonfly.jazzsequence.com/). - [Courtney Robertson](https://courtneyr.dev/) I've worked with Courtney on FAIR and I've even played roadie for her! - [Joost de Valk](https://joost.blog/) Yoast founder, Emelia Capital; FAIR collaborator - [Karim Marucchi](https://marucchi.com/) CEO, Crowd Favorite; working on FAIR & other projects. - [Mika Epstein](https://halfelf.org/) It's a pleasure working with Mika on FAIR; consistently helpful with quirky doses of humour. - [Taco Verdonschot](https://tacoverdo.com/) I've worked with Taco on FAIR, hackathons, and alligator wrestling.