The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

OSCON 2019 anthology (Interview)

Aug 23, 2019

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Eric Holscher from Write the Docs dives into ethical advertising and conference inclusivity, sharing the unique 'Pac-Man rule' for fostering engagement. Ali Spittel, a developer advocate at Codebeast, discusses her passion for teaching coding and her new love for podcasting. Lastly, Hong Phuc Dang of FOSSASIA highlights impressive open-source projects like Pocket Science Lab and the cultural divides in the Asian open-source ecosystem, shedding light on how to bridge the gap for better collaboration.

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INSIGHT

Open Source Governance

Open-source software lacks a central governing institution, creating governance challenges.
This makes it difficult to navigate the introduction of large companies into the open-source world.

INSIGHT

Varying Open Source Definitions

"Open source" has diverse interpretations, leading to mismatched expectations.
Individuals and companies have unique priorities and economic incentives shaping their open-source vision.

ANECDOTE

Read the Docs' Sustainability

Read the Docs, a documentation hosting platform, faced sustainability challenges due to its open-source nature.
Eric Holscher, a co-founder, experienced burnout from the unpaid responsibility of maintaining the platform.

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We’re on the expo hall floor of OSCON 2019 talking with Eric Holscher, Ali Spittel, and Hong Phuc Dang. First up, we talk to Eric about his work at Write the Docs, ethical advertising, and the Pac-Man rule at conferences. Second, we talk with Ali about her passion for teaching developers, her passion for writing, and her new found love for podcasting. Last, we talk with Hong about her work at FOSSASIA, the disconnect between America and Asia in open source, and several of the cool open source projects they have on GitHub.

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Featuring:

Eric Holscher – Website, GitHub, X
Ali Spittel – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, X
Hong Phuc Dang – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, X
Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Jerod Santo – GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

Special thanks to our friends at O’Reilly Media and OSCON for making our trip to Portland possible.

Eric:

Ali:

Hong:

FOSSASIA

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!