DPL Campaign Questions 008
As a developer, how do you embody the spirit and culture that has made Debian a great operating system?
If elected DPL, how will you inspire the same in others?
I do not believe that there is any one single spirit or culture that has made Debian great, never any truly united community. With contributors from various places around the globe, we have a melting pot of different cultural viewpoints. Furthermore we have people doing things for a variety of reasons, some more selfish than others. The interplay between these differences has led to tension, and it has also led to greatness. I am certain that some of the great things in Debian have come to pass borne out of anger and hatred.
We have had shifts in cultural norms over the years. When I joined the project, it was considered highly controversial to use the word “fuck”. Many community members would scream at anyone who did that, rudely sending private emails to admonish them. Eventually, enough anti-censorship people joined that the political tide turned, and many of the people offended by the use of the word “fuck” quietly faded away. We effectively disenfranchised them. Now the pendulum may be swinging in the other direction, and if it does, we can expect the same sorts of tensions and the same sorts of attrition. Perhaps this is part of the natural cycle of things, perhaps not.
So if I list what I do or what I try to do, I do not believe it adequately answers the question. I think that Debian is superior for technical excellence and cohesive policy, so I try to do my part to meet those standards. I think that Debian is great for being a good Free Software Citizen, so I try to forward relevant bugs and patches upstream. I think that Debian is great for not being fully beholden to corporations, other financial interests, or dictatorial personalities, so I try not to encourage that sort of thing. I think that Debian is greater because of a few team efforts, so when someone tries to set up a worthwhile endeavor, I feel some compulsion to join in or at least be supportive. I think that Debian is greater because of some commitment to transparency, so I try not to do anything important behind closed doors, and even when I assume that something is transparent enough because it has been discussed only in public channels, and someone yells at me for hypocrisy, I try to increase the distribution of that information to a level that people feel is appropriate.
As DPL I would try to set a good example by not being a hypocrite about any of the things I think are important to Debian, and would try to inspire an atmosphere of more teamwork, cooperation, and empowerment. I think that this could be revitalizing.
Suppose that you would not run for DPL: Who would you vote and why?
I am not sure of how I will be voting. Each of the candidates had said things that I like, and each of the candidates has said things that I dislike very much. I am choosing not to get into specifics here, because I do not consider it appropriate or ethical to try to affect other people's votes in that manner.