Distro Transparency Index (DTI)

Detailed Evaluation

1. Governance Transparency: 0/3

• Availability of governance documents: Partial (0 points)
• Detail of governance documents: Minimal (0 points)
• Source: Pop!_OS GitHub – No comprehensive governance documents available.

2. Decision Making Transparency: 0/3

• Documented decision-making process: Partial (0 points)
• Accessibility of meeting minutes: Not available (0 points)
• Source: Pop!_OS Blog – occasionally discusses decisions but not formally documented.

3. Economic Transparency: 0/4

• Publication of financial statements: Not published (0 points)
• Detail of financial statements: Minimal (0 points)
• Note: No specific financial reports found related to Pop!_OS.

4. Economic Accessibility: 0/4

• Access to financial reports: Not available (0 points)
• Ease of access: Difficult (0 points)
• Note: No accessible financial data for Pop!_OS development.

5. Source Code Accessibility: 4/4

• Availability of source code: Public (2 points)
• Ease of access to source code: Easy (2 points)
• Source: Pop!_OS GitHub – code is open and accessible.

6. Public Roadmap Availability: 0/3

• Public roadmap: Partial (0 points)
• Detail of roadmap: Minimal (0 points)
• Note: Releases are public, but there's no formal long-term roadmap.

7. Transparency in Code Review Processes: 3/3

• Documentation of review processes: Yes (1 point)
• Transparency of review processes: High (2 points)
• Source: Contribution Guide & GitHub PRs – clearly visible and open.

8. Community Participation in Development: 2/4

• Number of active contributors: Moderate (1 point)
• Accessibility to development processes: Moderate (1 point)
• Source: GitHub contributors and docs – limited but present.

9. Impact of Governance Structure on Transparency: 0/6

• Centralization of decision-making power: Highly centralized (0 points)
• Control and balance mechanisms: Weak (0 points)
• Influence of commercial entities: Significant (0 points)
• Note: System76 has full control over Pop!_OS governance.

Final Score: 26.47/100

Concluding Analysis

Pop!_OS demonstrates varying levels of transparency and accessibility across the evaluated areas.

• Excellent accessibility of source code.
• High transparency in code review processes.
• Some level of community participation in development.

• Formal governance documentation and decision-making transparency.
• Economic transparency and accessible financial information.
• Development of a clear public roadmap.
• Reduce System76's opaque control or improve transparency about their role.
• Establish stronger control and balance mechanisms.

The score of 26.47/100 reflects Pop!_OS’s limited formal transparency structures. While it excels in code accessibility and review openness, most other transparency pillars require serious improvement.

It is worth noting that Pop!_OS is developed by System76, a hardware manufacturer. This relationship often prioritizes product integration and user experience over open governance, and while understandable, it affects transparency. Clarifying this balance would improve public trust and the project’s standing in the open-source community.