Code & Community Live Stream

Key Concepts GitHub Universe, Open Source, Good First Issues, Home Assistant, Render ATL, The Commits, Node.js, Michael Rogers, Module Federation, RSpack, CascadiaJS, GitKraken, Ember.js, Ember Shepard, Shepherd.js, Arcade.dev, Zephr Cloud, Makeswift CMS, GoFundMe, Impostor Syndrome, Eat That Frog, Start With Why.

Conference Experience and Community Vibrancy

The discussion begins with participants expressing their enthusiasm for developer conferences, particularly GitHub Universe, highlighting its energizing atmosphere, the opportunity to connect with diverse individuals, and the shared passion for "nerdy things." Attendees appreciate the community's vibrancy, the interactive nature of the events, and the approachable environment, contrasting it with more corporate-driven conferences. Specific mentions include programmable name tags and the overall "cool vibe."

Getting Started with Open Source Contributions

A key topic addressed is how aspiring developers can begin contributing to open source projects. The following methods are suggested:

Triage Issues: Many open-source projects have a backlog of issues where maintainers need help determining if they are genuine bugs. Assisting with this process is a valuable entry point.
"Good First Issues": Numerous repositories, such as Home Assistant (an open-source organization with 2.9K issues and many labels), specifically tag issues as "good first issues" to guide newcomers.
Personal Use Projects: Contributing to projects one personally uses and cares about is another effective way to get involved.

Personal Impact of Open Source

Several guests shared profound personal and professional impacts of open source:

Franchesco (Developer Advocate at Dev.to): Open source fundamentally changed his life, leading him to leave a job at the European Space Agency in 2021 to pursue a career more aligned with open source principles. He contributed to the Ethereum codebase and participated in numerous Hacktoberfest events.
Robbie Wagner (Staff Engineer at IBM, Host of Whiskey Web and Whatnot podcast): His career was significantly shaped by contributing to the Ember.js community, eventually joining the learning core team. This led to projects like Ember Shepard and taking over Shepherd.js, a major project for site tours.
Chris (Developer Advocate at GitKraken): Appreciates the ability to directly fix bugs or issues in projects because the code is openly available, fostering continuous improvement.
Rachel (Arcade.dev): Open source was her gateway into tech. Starting by hosting and sharing her comics using platforms like Gray Matter (Pearl and CGI), Drupal, OS Open Source Commerce, and Tinan PHP for newsletters, she developed skills that allowed her to transition into a tech career when her award-winning comics couldn't sustain her. She worked on React and React Native documentation during the pandemic.
Zach Chapel (CEO/Co-founder of Zephr Cloud, Model Federation Core Team, RSpack contributor): Open source is central to his life and startup, particularly through Module Federation. It has also been instrumental in forming almost all his friendships globally, allowing him to connect with people he's collaborated with online.
Carter (IBM, Organizer of CascadiaJS): Recalls the pre-open source era of tech (80s/early 90s), emphasizing that open source made technology accessible and inclusive, fostering diverse communities. He credits open source for his involvement in tech and for meeting dozens of his favorite people. He highlights that even small contributions, tutorials, or demos are valuable.

The Problem: Lack of Recognition and Funding for Open Source Maintainers

A consensus emerged that open source maintainers do not receive adequate credit, appreciation, or financial compensation for their critical work. The analogy of "the one person in Nebraska holding up the entire world" (referencing a comic about overlooked infrastructure maintainers) was used to illustrate this point. Justin Samuels emphasized that many brilliant engineers choose the "harder path" of building tools for the common good, often in thankless roles, enabling others to build lucrative careers.

Case Study: Michael Rogers and the Need for Memorialization

Carter shared the poignant story of Michael Rogers, a "giant in the open source community" and a key figure in the rise of Node.js and founder of NodeConf. Michael passed away too young at 42 from cancer. Carter recounted his shock when, at his own conference, very few attendees knew who Michael Rogers was, despite his immense contributions. This underscored the community's tendency to "take these people for granted" and forget their impact if they don't achieve mainstream celebrity or wealth.

GoFundMe: A GoFundMe campaign (link shared in chat) was set up for Michael's family (wife Anna and two children).
Render ATL Contribution: Render ATL pledged a $500 contribution to Michael's GoFundMe, emphasizing the importance of honoring those who contribute selflessly.
Key Argument: The community often idolizes CEOs and billionaires while overlooking the "herculean heroes" who build foundational technologies out of love for others and technology, often for little to no financial reward.

The Big Announcement: "The Commits" Award Show

Justin Samuels, founder and CEO of Render ATL, announced the creation of "The Commits", an annual award show dedicated to recognizing and celebrating contributions within the open source ecosystem.

Inspiration: Inspired by Monti Ellis's "Creative Class" award show, which honors cultural contributors akin to the Grammys for musicians and Oscars for actors. "The Commits" aims to be "open source's biggest night."
Purpose: To give open source contributors their "flowers" and ensure they feel seen and appreciated, preventing future instances of forgotten heroes like Michael Rogers.
Timing and Location: The inaugural "Commits" will take place in August 2024 during the Render ATL conference.
Website: commits.dev is the official website for nominations and information.
Categories: The website lists various categories for nominations, including:
- Commit of the Year
- Maintainer of the Year
- Small Project of the Year
- Large Project of the Year
- (And many more, encouraging users to visit the website for a full list).
Benefits for Finalists: Every finalist will receive a complimentary booth on the Render ATL expo floor, which attracts 8,000 to 10,000 people. This offers a significant, free opportunity for open source projects to gain visibility, attract contributors, and potentially sponsors.
Ethos: The event will maintain a "purist" approach, focusing solely on honoring genuine contributions to the open source ecosystem, rather than popularity or financial influence. It will be a black-tie gala with a "pink carpet" and media presence, designed to feel like a major award show.
Website Development: The beautiful website was built using Makeswift CMS.

Call to Action and Community Engagement

Nominations: The community is urged to visit commits.dev and nominate their favorite open source projects and contributors. Nominations are open now and will close in April.
Spread the Word: Participants are encouraged to share news about "The Commits" widely, treating it as a community-driven open source project itself, to ensure a "nomination wave" that highlights diverse projects, not just the most popular ones.
Corporate Involvement: Sponsorship opportunities will be available in the coming weeks for companies wishing to support "The Commits" financially, through category ownership, or by purchasing gala tables.
Render ATL Tickets: Five "super early bird" tickets for Render ATL are still available, offering the lowest price for conference attendance.

Concluding Thoughts and Advice

The announcement was met with overwhelming excitement and a shared sentiment of "Why not before?" The speakers emphasized the collective power of the community to elevate "The Commits" to the status of other major award shows.

Robbie Wagner: "You can just do things. Don't let stuff stop you. Just get started somewhere and get going."
Rachel: "You don't need permission to build things. You can make things for the sake of solving your own problems or even just for the delight of feeling like there's something in the world that wasn't there before. And that's magical. And you don't need permission or a paycheck to do that."
Focus Otter (Michael Leando): "Eat that frog" – tackle the hardest task first to make the rest of the day easier.
Carter: Reiterated that "you can just do things," citing "The Commits" as an example of creating something new where nothing existed before.
Chris: "It doesn't all have to happen all at once... The big changes happen with small changes."
Zach Chapel: "Work on finding what your why is" (referencing Simon Sinek's book "Start With Why") to stay grounded and motivated.
Franchesco: Encouraged viewers to see themselves as "pioneers" of this project and to actively share and talk about it.
Justin Samuels: "Your voice matters... you could achieve anything that you want to do even when you feel that small voice in your head telling you that you can't... that hard work will be a talent."

The event concluded with a strong call to action for community members to nominate projects, attend Render ATL, and connect with the speakers, fostering a collaborative spirit for the future of open source recognition.