Open Stack

Bret,

I would simply ask, how do you want to contribute? doing meetups,
helping on IRC, helping new users on the mail lists. bloging...

It can be anything valuable that is recognizable to the community -
point is it need to be valuable and recognizable.

Having a bar does not mean closed. The key is the criteria is open, and
anyone can put the effort in to meet the criteria. In the same way, the
code base is open today, but not anyone can push anything into the
codebase. First you need to understand the code base, then you need to
do something valuable and create a patch. then others need to agree that
the patch is good (valuable), then your patch is included. There is
clearly a bar here, and yes the project is open. Open means there is a
clear criteria, and anyone can meet it if they put the effort in. The
key is the process and criteria is documented, and run in the open and
transparently. i.e. there is not someone randomly deciding in private.

Carl.



On 11/01/2012 09:44 AM, Bret Piatt wrote:
> Would I be considered a contributor to OpenStack?  I haven't written any documentation officially in the project.  I haven't committed a line of code officially in the project.  My idea of a contributor may be significantly different than what other people believe.  I am for a broad, open, inclusive community.  If people care enough about OpenStack to create an account, learn the voting process, and show up at the virtual voting booth their voice should be heard.  Creating barriers to who can and cannot have a voice is fundamentally against open.  I know we're all trying to figure this out of passion and care for the project -- we want what is best for it and what will make it successful.  So far we haven't turned people away, we haven't excluded anyone that wants to participate in the way they choose and through that process we have an amazing project we all get to be part of -- from the foundation staff, to the PTLs, to the 24 members of our elected and appointed board, to guys like me that do what we can and participate in ways we believe we can help.
>
> Bret Piatt
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Carl Trieloff [mailto:cctrieloff at redhat.com] 
> Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2012 8:36 AM
> To: Tim Bell
> Cc: foundation at lists.openstack.org
> Subject: Re: [OpenStack Foundation] Proposals for individual board election
>
> On 10/31/2012 01:33 PM, Tim Bell wrote:
>> It is an interesting question to define 'contribution'. There are many ways
>> other than committing code that people help with OpenStack.
>>
>> Any suggestions on how to define a contributor ?
>
> This has been debated in many communities before. Here is of the best
> I've seen - Contribution can be documentation, community management,
> etc. Anything that helps the project and is recognised to be valuable
> enough that the individual can gain karma over a period of consistently
> providing value to the project (OpenStack). That is the current
> committing population and board need to agree that the contribution is
> valuable and a track record of contribution exists.
>
> Carl.
>
>
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