Speech Transcript - GNOME Outreach: from three point zero to hero

0:00:10	okay so the average age was about nineteen years old we had people who are
0:00:17	as young as nine
0:00:19	and as old as i was which was
0:00:22	twenty seven or twenty six
0:00:25	so pretty young
0:00:28	and you know you don't think like well for some people so i would be
0:00:33	know about formal software development right
0:00:36	they're just they were they were pretty much we need
0:00:41	and that would be important later
0:00:44	we had cooled things like swallowed laps
0:00:48	in those days we used to be able to take any X program and just
0:00:53	swallowed in to be the panel so we had all cries of interesting stuff
0:00:59	but really fit all these things all these features and options and so forth it
0:01:05	really was
0:01:07	on sustain
0:01:09	you know and we had
0:01:11	we had there was a big male that's was pretty famous and gonna buy havoc
0:01:16	pennington there's basically it says we can't keep doing this
0:01:22	and we have to improve
0:01:25	and one thing i heard about right is that just was are rated ready to
0:01:31	drop us
0:01:32	you know
0:01:33	and i say this is like because we're gonna go about why do we go
0:01:37	from one point a to point there's a lot of reasons why people to widen
0:01:41	we just keep doing what we were doing
0:01:44	so we were talking about two point
0:01:48	we were transitioning from
0:01:52	and immature board group of
0:01:55	boys and young men
0:01:57	to
0:01:59	something more formal right we were growing up as a project going on was growing
0:02:04	a we have to care about A P I N B I stability
0:02:08	we have to
0:02:11	worry about these things because application developers are saying well i can depend on this
0:02:16	it
0:02:17	it we can do any of this stuff because you keep changing things
0:02:21	so
0:02:23	we really had to get serious and
0:02:27	do something
0:02:29	and
0:02:31	i say that because today than i was a very conservative project right we don't
0:02:36	we don't allow for a patch as get extreme
0:02:41	scrutiny
0:02:42	so it's not easy to get in and being able to do something
0:02:48	so i this is sort of the background where we can
0:02:52	so
0:02:53	when we will to can own to there was a lot of also
0:02:57	i mean you know people are change
0:03:00	they just
0:03:02	the like and like there be like what did you do this why do but
0:03:05	you remove this feature what did you do that right and
0:03:10	and the thing is that
0:03:15	what do we knew about can really average back
0:03:18	what did been
0:03:20	again tickets consider a range right
0:03:24	free software was probably young you know and
0:03:28	we left
0:03:31	we like a lot of
0:03:32	things onset we had allowed are can you need to write our story for us
0:03:38	right
0:03:40	so when people you when you see these gold thread still say you see a
0:03:44	common theme complaints from people you know what
0:03:50	such as like every month points was like
0:03:54	we didn't we didn't and it wouldn't explain to them
0:03:58	why we change use X
0:04:00	we managed you can tell the context
0:04:03	we don't really give them anything to really
0:04:06	hold on to so
0:04:08	we allow people to write our story for us and we just went on you
0:04:14	see
0:04:15	whole bunch of complaints and you know it didn't matter that was free software back
0:04:20	that we all that everybody was yell that it was a bizarre model right that's
0:04:25	what you're doing
0:04:27	so
0:04:29	question is if you look back we said could we have done better
0:04:34	and
0:04:37	i don't know i don't know the answer for that i don't think we could
0:04:40	have done better
0:04:42	like i said a three to is relatively unheard
0:04:45	for that all that thank you many management
0:04:48	we don't really do that
0:04:50	and so
0:04:53	we just sort of let it pass and
0:04:56	do whatever you need to do
0:04:59	but then
0:05:01	after ten years of development
0:05:04	brno three came along
0:05:07	and it was a different well
0:05:10	but when we plan this really is
0:05:12	we spend an enormous amount of time and this is
0:05:15	we had videos we had great release notes i mean we never did a that
0:05:21	you know to i mean we never had the kind of release notes were doing
0:05:25	today arguably was by one of the best plan releases we did not want
0:05:31	what happened at we don't want that
0:05:34	four point thing but
0:05:37	i knew i knew that it was gonna be
0:05:43	hard just based on what happened what one or two point
0:05:47	because we really did change a lot of things right
0:05:51	and
0:05:53	for me personally i didn't want anybody to write our story
0:05:59	i didn't
0:06:00	think
0:06:01	we needed to be ready
0:06:04	when the onslaught occur
0:06:07	so
0:06:10	initial reactions
0:06:12	was not exactly what
0:06:15	wasn't was less than spectacular right i mean i think we could summon up to
0:06:21	that
0:06:26	the unholy mess that is be known three
0:06:31	which was done by
0:06:34	we used for about
0:06:38	and
0:06:41	can we really blame that right
0:06:44	we change me change interactions completely
0:06:48	we the interface is change completely we do niemann
0:06:55	there's nothing there was no bridge between be known to dig around three
0:07:00	how did one
0:07:03	go from one to the other especially if you've spent ten years on a our
0:07:08	work flow
0:07:10	and suddenly you want to this so it's not it's not always
0:07:16	it was not going to be so that
0:07:18	just because people had invested so much time on this on the desktop
0:07:24	so
0:07:27	understandably
0:07:28	there was a lot of outrage
0:07:31	i mean a lot of outrage
0:07:34	and we had a probably must
0:07:42	so
0:07:44	that's it can see
0:07:49	it's a different world out there right now trying to gonna two days you have
0:07:54	social wouldn't have to face but we didn't have
0:07:57	a whole any we have a lot we have footer whitman have a lot of
0:08:01	things
0:08:03	and
0:08:06	things can go bad news travels fast
0:08:10	bad news travels faster
0:08:12	ugly news travels even faster than that
0:08:15	so social really increases proliferation
0:08:19	and then you get you get this bad news you know this is the last
0:08:26	one that i meander you heard that joke many times
0:08:29	or maybe were staring into the abyss
0:08:32	there is there is
0:08:34	the there's all the stuff and then you know the news media picks it up
0:08:37	and it just goes on and on a not and the whole point is
0:08:42	how do you control all those you know and how do you control and make
0:08:47	sure that
0:08:49	we're always maintaining are best face forward
0:08:54	so i which is required a pretty they have these for damage control
0:08:58	and trying to make sure we change the conversation
0:09:08	so that's really the importance of engaging
0:09:13	it's important and greater kidder critics
0:09:16	explain our motivations
0:09:19	and the design and
0:09:23	when we engage
0:09:25	barbora communicating are intact right
0:09:28	we're saying this is why we're doing something
0:09:32	if somebody complains about the lack of feature or real terminal is solely not without
0:09:37	transfers you dear god why
0:09:41	it's not it's because
0:09:44	the specific reasons
0:09:46	and you know a lot some of that is because of not enough resources whatever
0:09:51	it is but if we don't challenge that then we fall into the same thing
0:09:57	right we're always talking about remove feature well we don't or remove transparency see they're
0:10:02	doing it again
0:10:03	and you have to be
0:10:05	always out there and
0:10:08	when you do
0:10:12	when you do go out there and you challenge your critics
0:10:16	they will see grouchy
0:10:19	i have turned i had done is many times somebody anybody on the internet can
0:10:23	sit there and
0:10:25	saves whatever battle there
0:10:27	if you come up there and you tell them that's not sure
0:10:32	i work are gonna
0:10:34	that's not true and they will back down
0:10:37	it has happened many times be conversation changes
0:10:43	and when the conversation changes you control the conversation you control the conversation and you
0:10:48	change the conversation
0:10:51	and that is one of the great benefits of engagement
0:10:57	because we are able to do
0:10:59	that kind of thing it's actually quite rewarding when you can change minds
0:11:06	so
0:11:07	this
0:11:09	is when you shouldn't do
0:11:10	don't engage don't sit around or stick your head in the same
0:11:15	you don't you don't wanna do that
0:11:18	because if you don't but something else writes it your story for you again it's
0:11:23	all about writing the story you don't wanna tell let somebody else saying this is
0:11:28	what can and stands for
0:11:30	this is what they do we don't want that all
0:11:34	so don't stick your hands and don't
0:11:39	don't disengage
0:11:41	you know when three pornos come out there was no developers out there now there's
0:11:47	a lot of the reasons for that and that was and they had just finished
0:11:50	report out there trying to stabilisation but there was no apparatus
0:11:55	to
0:11:57	hold all those creepy
0:11:59	critiquing are criticising right
0:12:01	so
0:12:04	we had
0:12:07	we have to do a lot of a lot of engagement i mean there and
0:12:11	there is our apparatus we have lots of high profile people yet used or about
0:12:16	that in the one are you have all these people who have this year to
0:12:21	the media complaining
0:12:24	and
0:12:26	we didn't really explain ourselves today
0:12:31	so
0:12:33	engage and
0:12:35	was slow
0:12:37	we start off very slow
0:12:41	we didn't we didn't have any mechanism to
0:12:45	talk about engagement in a tackle but we didn't have any mechanism to
0:12:51	to
0:12:53	show what we're doing right we had we had really snows we had all those
0:12:56	great stuff about how cool everything was
0:13:00	but
0:13:01	we didn't say why
0:13:04	why don't we do this
0:13:05	we didn't wouldn't do any that's that
0:13:09	and when usa what was the what was the reason why we had
0:13:14	you know hotspots or things like that what was the reason for all
0:13:19	so where was where was the explanation
0:13:21	for that
0:13:22	and so
0:13:25	that's where
0:13:28	things goes wrong right and
0:13:32	and you don't and you lose track of the conversation
0:13:37	so which really was time to get
0:13:40	serious right
0:13:43	we need to pull together
0:13:45	our communication channels and
0:13:48	really engage the community right so we did a number things we created the facebook
0:13:54	profile we created a tutor account we did a google plus
0:14:00	we did everything we could to make sure that we can control the message
0:14:05	we consolidated begin on name space on I R C we controlled entire signal space
0:14:12	nobody can create a good on channel without are say so
0:14:16	and
0:14:19	you know
0:14:20	i took on a lot
0:14:22	kernel developers picks like that
0:14:25	just happened my bad like that
0:14:28	i'd being game being employed that open source technology centre i also have to have
0:14:34	i also have a lock from developers and X developers and approach stick so you
0:14:40	why will go plus pages probably filled with flames
0:14:45	but you know
0:14:47	and i took it even further i actually searched
0:14:51	eighteen we have tag you know
0:14:54	engage them even i didn't did pass so i wasn't possible and that's all i
0:14:59	was impressed i went through and i found anybody i can any wild eyed person
0:15:04	on the internet i mean you know because it was worth it i went to
0:15:11	like read it and i would to read slashdot whatever it was
0:15:16	and you know i put myself out there because i need to make sure that
0:15:24	we we're putting are best face forward and we are communicating
0:15:32	so
0:15:35	how the how that there
0:15:40	right
0:15:42	i guess people to order based
0:15:45	but the google plus can is been pretty good
0:15:48	and even on L W N same thing
0:15:52	it can be really rewarding and you can change minds
0:15:56	and you and if even that they're not you know they're upset with you know
0:16:01	whatever it is
0:16:03	you have built a reputation for yourself
0:16:08	so your own personal reputation goes up
0:16:12	and people will look at user trustworthy resource
0:16:17	for anything related to good know or just as a person
0:16:22	so
0:16:25	that's
0:16:27	and
0:16:28	and so and on the other the other common want to make was that you
0:16:32	know at this point
0:16:35	it's just a self sustaining
0:16:37	so we could have a bad news day
0:16:40	and we could see comments where we will actually see people say that why like
0:16:47	about three what's wrong with it so
0:16:50	before we didn't have any way in like in ago today's happy to these people
0:16:57	saying at it was silence now i have people's challenging
0:17:03	well i'm the people i i'm not you're doing that other people are doing that
0:17:08	and you know
0:17:09	it's great and we have forums now we have that we will plus pages are
0:17:17	have been on developers who are ford a rubber so going out there has been
0:17:21	questions even writing extensions sample extensions things like that is all huge positive things and
0:17:29	i think i think
0:17:31	despite whatever who are articles you see on planet or whatever it is you know
0:17:37	we're
0:17:39	we're turning the corner this
0:17:42	you know returning the corner
0:17:48	so the question is
0:17:50	is our job
0:17:53	and
0:17:55	that's an interesting question
0:17:57	and i'm gonna say no i think not by a long shot we have a
0:18:02	lot of work to go into because it's a sustaining model continue moderate you're always
0:18:08	gonna have to do that because always gonna be amiss some misconception or something
0:18:13	so
0:18:15	so it's really important we continue to engage your own community our that our committee
0:18:20	but
0:18:21	what can be found out from disaster the posters that we also they need to
0:18:26	do outreach to our internally right
0:18:29	there are a lot of people who are maybe not sure about where we're going
0:18:32	or what for doing and we should really
0:18:36	have our conversation within ourselves
0:18:39	so that we don't have posted talks about
0:18:42	the last one a core
0:18:45	this or any other thing where people are not sure we should read if we
0:18:50	they should come to us and that's a that's a role that really managers to
0:18:54	be able to have someone to go to
0:18:58	to talk about doubts
0:19:01	instead of taking into the airways
0:19:04	right so
0:19:07	so we need to that's something we need to work we need to be able
0:19:12	to do community involvement internal
0:19:18	but
0:19:20	so drinking we might
0:19:24	i guess the number
0:19:27	different case you know a lot of people don't do what i do which is
0:19:31	will and engage people aggressively and
0:19:36	finding fights and here is probably are used a stipulate and good i was
0:19:43	well the thing to do is sort of a way to pass time and now
0:19:47	we have a bit of scotch
0:19:50	and whatnot
0:19:53	good times right good times so
0:19:57	so
0:19:59	but they're gonna do it right there that there's something is or if you're an
0:20:04	introvert you probably the support not something free
0:20:08	and if you're sensitive or you lose your temper a lot usually lose bought another
0:20:14	thing for you
0:20:16	you're a measure requires patience
0:20:19	and i mean a lot of patience
0:20:21	it also requires repeating yourself
0:20:24	absolutely
0:20:25	you can have the you can have an argument you can repeat the same thing
0:20:28	over there is always something really interesting about that
0:20:33	because if you say it and you say in the soothing voice
0:20:37	they actually do
0:20:39	stop complaining
0:20:41	i
0:20:42	and they back up and sort of like okay
0:20:48	and they will try what you tried everything like green exit
0:20:53	the same thing
0:20:55	create a i think i have actually is that so
0:21:02	but the other thing is obviously part
0:21:05	no matter how ugly yes
0:21:08	be possible and you'll get to say that the previous screen i showed but people
0:21:13	say the argument compliments is precisely that if you're keeping a positive it or track
0:21:20	the other person you actually get results
0:21:27	so a couple times be sincere
0:21:30	don't
0:21:32	yes
0:21:33	in the and i know that some you know you need to be across a
0:21:37	cheerleader it something socks and you agree you say
0:21:41	i agree it sucks
0:21:43	people will believe you're always going to be defensive
0:21:47	so
0:21:51	so it's a if you don't this if you agree i agree you're right it's
0:21:56	something we need to work on
0:21:58	let me let me get back
0:22:02	it was about patience
0:22:04	D free software person
0:22:08	it's very emotional based
0:22:10	they are
0:22:13	passion is a double edge sword
0:22:16	so
0:22:18	the passion that drives people to write code
0:22:21	also dies and to be email
0:22:24	and it is it is that it's a fight a because they will blabber about
0:22:32	think so again
0:22:34	you gotta you gotta keep saying this is what we do it this is how
0:22:38	we doing this is why we doing you gotta have to repeat yourself and
0:22:43	so
0:22:45	i'm kind of repeating myself here and there but
0:22:49	you do need to keep positive and it is gonna be worthwhile
0:22:54	the other important point is
0:22:57	and this is something to learn from marketing i used when i was in college
0:23:01	i was actually part of a marketing
0:23:03	college group and we were selling
0:23:06	that we have the me stuff that we were
0:23:10	i providing
0:23:12	i opportunity companies to get interns from other countries
0:23:17	and what things
0:23:19	i think that there's some training when things you go through is that we're marketing
0:23:24	somebody you need to get something
0:23:28	anything head paper phone number
0:23:32	whatever
0:23:34	so i'm applying that principle to complainers
0:23:38	it somebody complains something i can why we're doing this way so the file but
0:23:44	help the bottle but do it can to get
0:23:48	then to invest
0:23:49	and the project some way some shape where for
0:23:52	i did i did this to kernel develop this
0:23:57	they start complaining and actually file but it's very easy to complain but if you
0:24:02	can get them to actually file and do something
0:24:05	big way
0:24:07	big way
0:24:08	and
0:24:11	be could definitely in we want to do that we wanna turn complacent to
0:24:16	in to do is if they don't like the direction of the project
0:24:21	get an ball jointed a foundation
0:24:24	do something
0:24:25	because only then you're gonna have a voice if you have a voice then you
0:24:29	have a way to change
0:24:32	so
0:24:33	that's how i've always approach people who complain is that
0:24:38	well you can't you can't complain
0:24:42	and then not invest time
0:24:45	that you don't get anything for free
0:24:50	so in the end it's a mixed bag
0:24:54	where they change their minds are not at least to remember you
0:25:00	and
0:25:04	really when you remember you then you can always restart the conversation elation because
0:25:09	nothing stays the same
0:25:11	the same thing happened one point you were many people that were stripe stabilised
0:25:18	people come back
0:25:20	so our works
0:25:22	everything nothing a static when people say i'm done jumper just one to katie
0:25:27	there we like there will be
0:25:30	katie will do something like come back
0:25:33	sorry does like the idea tell you that
0:25:38	the free stuff or animals or emotional first
0:25:43	couple yes
0:25:46	i want people to go out there and then
0:25:50	do can really measure it and then speaker to go foundation
0:25:56	you don't
0:25:57	really people or experience are people who kindled
0:26:01	be part of the project
0:26:04	because you are at that point representing you know
0:26:07	and it would be
0:26:09	better
0:26:11	if you had somebody who's done this before and you know you don't actually put
0:26:17	your foot in your mouth
0:26:19	unintended
0:26:22	so if you're into a problem we should contact me or somewhere else on the
0:26:27	marketing team
0:26:29	but
0:26:31	go out there engage
0:26:33	so this is pretty much a lot had for my top
0:26:37	i can have some questions
0:26:43	by
0:26:49	hi and it's not exactly question is mom like it can into just about complete
0:26:56	to say now i would like to say that i think that is important to
0:27:01	talk about complaints about them the fact that sometimes do something that is not very
0:27:07	clear a how do you see how you say sorry i think that is very
0:27:15	important to try to communicate to where we're going and the and the and try
0:27:20	to and to make the in the people to be trust to trust a while
0:27:28	the developer as a doing a for example have them this conversation on some years
0:27:33	ago one and don't really in a already written believe that just read the do
0:27:40	that and some people to all about this now is doesn't work of them to
0:27:45	was that the number but not a to say okay and you had some questions
0:27:51	to ask and so when people come from normal to me what can you i
0:27:57	write for this and for that the from this one a please the passion readjusting
0:28:02	the beginning so know be passion i ask in the don't ask sorry and the
0:28:08	weight that the developer make their work so i think that's very important am trying
0:28:13	to make the people understand that not everything would be done immediately so to have
0:28:20	trust in the community and this is this is good
0:28:25	right
0:28:32	that for the first or we will cover about our approach
0:28:37	those exactly what part is to be brushed for i think a lot there are
0:28:44	saying here is precisely that is
0:28:49	that's where the carriers as is don't put your for
0:28:53	right you're talking because
0:28:55	what's your hope you know you should be fresh
0:28:59	because you're older our reputation
0:29:02	in your as
0:29:03	so people will judge you that
0:29:09	when developers communicate you know i've seen i've seen things that make me cringe so
0:29:17	there was no you'll see you'll see you know developers going out of it kernel
0:29:22	developers and it's like my god okay and for them it's just like what in
0:29:29	was in the going to days it's just this bright they and i
0:29:37	i don't try i mean i jabbed and then just try to keep it simple
0:29:43	but it's not always
0:29:45	possible right this is the same kind of thing with the okay M L and
0:29:50	all that it's just it's just so something but the extra but i don't really
0:29:55	like i guess grows probably are just and going out of that's just really
0:30:01	not the way to behave at least certainly not for our side
0:30:09	the questions
0:30:13	right next regarding right i know

GNOME Outreach: from three point zero to hero

Community Outreach Track

Sriram Ramkrishna