Someone starts a new #FOSS project as a hobby activity.

Billy Smith

I've found that the Servant Leadership pattern works best for me, but it has to be balanced with making sure that other people don't take the piss.

smallcircles (Humanity Now 🕊)

@akdb yes, burnout is a common theme for maintainers of popular FOSS projects, unfortunately. So many more aspects than just "the fun of coding" start to play a role as a project gains traction and popularity. For many project that also happens spontaneously, and only much later there is a realization that "things are getting serious now". And then a hobby turns into full-time volunteering and dealing with people who feel various levels of entitlement to be heard or see their contributions added

smallcircles (Humanity Now 🕊)

@iinavpov @mir

Indeed. I define a #FSDL as the process where you take things explicitly into account. See e.g https://social.coop/@smallcircles/113508307986680735

smallcircles (Humanity Now 🕊)

@dahukanna @jenniferplusplus

Nice diagram. Though I am wondering if you aren't addressing a slightly different angle here.

I am sorry. This thread has exploded, and I cannot keep up with replies. There are many interesting perspectives and ideas in the many branches of this discussion, though.

smallcircles (Humanity Now 🕊)

@BillySmith @laxla

Yes. Nice that mention. We get some good best-practice/ design pattern names here, and input for a conceptual model on how moving parts fit together.

Billy Smith

@smallcircles @laxla

I was just using it as a practice before i knew the formal name for it.

It's a creative, constructive, anarchist approach that makes you put your energy where your mouth is...

"If i have enough energy to complain, then i have enough energy to fix it."

Also, learning new skills is fun

smallcircles (Humanity Now 🕊)

@BillySmith @laxla

Yess. That's the attitude!

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@smallcircles I think it depends. On the type of project and what community grows up around you. Like if you're building an app but federated, then expectations are set.

If the criticism leveraged is about trust and safety then yes. If you've taken funding absolutely. If your project is the dominant player in blogging and you endanger the livelyhood of the folks who helped you make it popular again yes.

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@smallcircles If you enjoy coding and you don't build up the additional support you need you risk burnout.

It comes down to who you choose to support you on that coding. Yes many projects with a BDFL are a hobby project. You do often need a single person to direct how it should be built.

But when you start getting the pull requests and other questions, sometimes it's best to hand over some of that triage to someone else. Plus fund that help.

Many hats, one Esther

(www.onepict.com)

Jens Finkhäuser

@smallcircles This thread beautifully illustrates the power of definition.

Give the power of definition to the project's initiator? It's a hobby project, they can do what they want.

Give the power of definition to the users? It's a vital piece of their digital life, so the maintainer better take it seriously!

So which is it?

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@smallcircles But on occasion the BDFL criticism is justified.

In terms of Fediverse projects, it depends. But we do have a sustainability problem and yes an exploitation problem.

No easy definition, no easy answer. It would be glib to say it is.

Some more thoughts on FOSS Sustainability

(www.onepict.com)

Jens Finkhäuser

@smallcircles
The thing about the power of definition is: both views are correct.

Trying to determine which is factually "more correct" is an exercise in futility.

Instead, everyone makes a choice here.

Everyone makes the choice for a personal reason.

Figure out the reason. Work from there.

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@smallcircles But when you have multiple projects and have taken EU funding, if you love the joy of coding more, then you need to be open to getting some support around you.

The community also needs to acknowledge you need that support and to help you fund that support.

https://www.onepict.com/20240409-sustain.html
https://www.onepict.com/20240813-ecosystem.html

Laxystem

@smallcircles @mir the expectations are set by the state - non-profits work towards the public's good, not towards making a hobby project. The statement I've made is an opinion (as it is a generalization), but the sentiment is not - it is ethically incorrect to leech off of the public (tax exemption) by creating a non-profit to fund your hobby project.

Billy Smith

@smallcircles @laxla

Also, just realising that this may come across as able-ist.

This was the approach i had before i became disabled, and with the current changes in my levels of functionality, it's changed the range of things that i can safely do.

This does not stop me trying to build new things.

Howard Chu @ Symas

@smallcircles @akdb meh. People who feel entitled to somebody's freely given labor can f*ck right off. They deserve nothing, neither respect nor consideration.

smallcircles (Humanity Now 🕊)

Many good insights brought up.

Have my mastodon closed now to not be distracted all the time

Btw, though many were boostworthy I didn't boost any toot, as it would only increase my (moral/ethical induced) workload to reply.

In that sense discussing on fedi is no fun. Most people aren't up to par with branches in the thread, and you become kind of content manager / entertainer that points out all the duplicates or repeats themself.

Irenes (many)

@smallcircles yeah... Discourse really is better for most forms of substantive discussion, in that way

smallcircles (Humanity Now 🕊)

@hyc @akdb

If they feel unreasonably and unjustifiably entitled, then sure yes (and it helps to still be polite in telling them, if only to save yourself from more drama). But did you convey what you consider to be improper entitlement? What expectations have you raised in your communication and behavior without being aware of it? Is there an expectation mismatch, and could you have prevented the negative cycle to deal with mutual misunderstandings? Could you have mitigated risk for your sake?

smallcircles (Humanity Now 🕊)

@ireneista

I run 3 forums and self-host 2 of those, one via Docker, one via Yunohost. Quite a few dev communities are on @Discourse

Dunno if there's a shift to alternatives now, but #Discourse used to be the best choice feature-wise, stability/quality-wise for hosting that kind of open community. Some modern forum software has appealing minimal UX, good enough for visitors / members, severely lacking for moderators / admins and to organize more intricate community governance.