The influence of open source extends well beyond code. In this episode, we dive into the less-explored areas of the open source community, spotlighting their profound and wide-ranging impact. With host Neha Batra away for travel, Martin Woodward welcomes Kyler Middleton to discuss navigating the open source community in a highly regulated environment. She highlights the dual challenges of aligning cultural norms and overcoming technical barriers. Also, The ReadME Project’s Klint Finley is back to discuss the underappreciated importance of non-code contributions to open source projects. He emphasizes how roles such as marketers, graphic designers, technical writers, and community managers can be vital for the success of a project. Lastly, we feature a clip from our bonus episode with Kelsey Hightower highlighting the complexity of scaling a project like Kubernetes, which extends beyond technical challenges to include legal, financial, and community-related aspects.

Here’s what’s in store for this episode:

00:00 - The hosts discuss the far-reaching impacts of open source and outline the symbiotic relationship between non-code contributions and OSS in everyday life.
03:02 - First Commit: How FarmBot is bringing automation to home gardening. Martin highlights how the open source community is putting a high-tech spin on backyard cultivation.
05:05 - The Interview: Kyler Middleton joins Martin to discuss everything from securing cloud applications to growing up on a farm.
23:45 - #AskRMP: Kelsey Hightower on managing open source projects at scale and the learnings that can be applied to projects of any size.
27:42 - Feature Release: The ReadME Project senior editor, Klint Finley, is back to discuss non-code contributions and why developers should prioritize supporting their creation and management.

Looking for more stories and advice from the open source community? To learn more from the authors and experts featured on this episode, check out:

Non-code contributions are the secret to open source success by Klint Finley
Finish your projects by Aaron Francis
Do your part to secure the open source supply chain by Feross Aboukhadijeh
From chaos to clarity: Use code visibility to illuminate unfamiliar code by Shanea Leven

Special thanks to Kyler Middleton for sharing her security and community insights, Kelsey Hightower for discussing open source at scale, and Sarah Rainsberger for highlighting the benefits of non-code contributions to open source success.

Check-out The ReadME Project, for more episodes as well as featured articles, developer stories, helpful guides, and much more! Send your feedback, questions, and ideas to thereadmeproject@github.com.

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