  Low-code platforms (latest reincarnation of the long tradition of
model-driven engineering approaches) have the potential of saving us countless
hours of repetitive boilerplate coding tasks. However, as software systems grow
in complexity, low-code platforms need to adapt as well. Notably, nowadays this
implies adapting to the modeling and generation of smart software. At the same
time, if we want to broaden the userbase of this type of tools, we should also
be able to provide more open source alternatives that help potential users
avoid vendor lock-ins and give them the freedom to explore low-code development
approaches (even adapting the tool to better fit their needs). To fulfil these
needs, we are building BESSER, an open source low-code platform for developing
(smart) software. BESSER offers various forms (i.e., notations) for system and
domain specification (e.g. UML for technical users and chatbots for business
users) together with a number of generators. Both types of components can be
extended and are open to contributions from the community.
