On 16/05/2011 11:04, Rory MacDonald wrote:
Hi All, Scary first posting to the list!! I would like to work with the ASF on improving access to the foundation and encouraging participation, that simple really. You guys do some fantastic work, and think it has massive potential for helping a lot of people, who would in turn help drive the ASF - if they only new about and understood it. I have discussed with Ross Gardler and Nick Burch, the idea of creating "teaching packs" for various different levels of academia and,
My own interest is for these "packs" to be less about "teaching" and more about signposting for potential community members regardless of their background. That being said, I already have some materials created specifically for students that could be reworked (I'm pretty sure the author of these is here on this list although she has not posted yet).
longer-term, I have a personal interest in helping: 1). People with special educational needs to benefit from meritocracy without stigma.
Interesting. I'm working with a project here in the UK called REALISE. This is trying to communicate open development models to the Assistive Technology community. Much of what they have done is modelled on the ASF.
It's a very early stage project, but is starting to get legs. See http://www.realisepotential.org/
2). Talented individuals (which is everyone in my book) isolated and in disenfranchised communities. I guess, the first stops are the following: - Does anyone object?
I certainly don't object. Of course the ASF is primarily about developing software. We are not about addressing the broader needs of the specific communities you mention. However, where such work can help ASF projects I don't see any issues.
- Does anyone have any ideas or want to help?
The biggest problem newcomers to the ASF have is being lost. It's a very big place and most of what we do and how we do is not clearly documented. There are docs all over the foundation that explain most of the key issues, but they are difficult to find and often difficult to read (even if English is your first language).
Making it easier for people to engage with the ASF and its projects is the primary goal of the Community Development project. I have always wanted to see some clear signposting documents that will help orientate newcomers. Our newbie FAQ goes some way towards doing this, but it's a long way from perfect.
See http://community.apache.org/newbiefaq.html
- Is there anything in existence which I can build on or should at least look at before going ahead?
Yes, it's all over the apache.org site and its projects. I think the best thing to do is focus on a specific issue that newcomers face and then address this.
Once issue that has come up a couple of times with GSoC getting underway is that the students feel that there is no "place" for them. There is, the dev@community.apache.org list is the right place. Maybe we need a "welcome" document for these people that will point them at key resources and invite them to the list.
Ross
