Sometimes when I see people leaving the community and blogging about it, I ask myself: what is the motivation for the post? Is there a rule I am missing that says contributing to Ubuntu is only a all or nothing thing?
What if when people need to scale back their efforts, they do just that?
Related posts:
#1 by Matthew East on July 12, 2007 - 9:33 am
Quote
Sometimes when people contribute in a significant way to the Ubuntu community, people rely on their contribution. As a result, it’s good practice to tell them of any circumstances which mean that such a reliance is going to be misplaced.
It’s like when you work in a group, it’s helpful / essential to tell the other members of the group that you are going on holiday.
This principle is enshrined in the Ubuntu code of conduct, which repays a re-read from time to time: http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct – ‘step down considerately’.
#2 by sharms on July 12, 2007 - 10:37 am
Quote
I was just thinking it isn’t just turn it on and turn it off. It isn’t a dig on anyone, more of a question of what prevents people from just using moderation?
#3 by Jerome Gotangco on July 12, 2007 - 10:42 am
Quote
You can’t deny people their passion to do something which they believe is the right thing to do and inform people when they can’t do it anymore. Like what Matthew posted, let’s be considerate and respect their decisions. After all, they gave their time and effort into something good. Saying that Ubuntu is an all or nothing deal is your POV on contributing but not theirs.
#4 by sharms on July 12, 2007 - 10:54 am
Quote
This wasn’t meant in a disrespectful or inconsiderate way, more of I just wanted some comments that hopefully quantified “Here is why this is all or nothing” just so a better understanding could be reached.
#5 by Matthew East on July 12, 2007 - 11:11 am
Quote
Sounds like I misunderstood your post – I thought your point was “why do people blog about it when they decide to take a break” as opposed to “why don’t people scale back their contribution rather than drop out entirely”.
The answer to the second question I guess entirely depends upon someone’s personal circumstances.
#6 by erik on July 12, 2007 - 1:01 pm
Quote
Correct answer, which fits both cases: They care. And, also trolls that just bash floss projects etc.. They care. Protip: it’s valuable.
#7 by Kevin Mark on July 12, 2007 - 1:59 pm
Quote
As someone who monitors Debian and Ubuntu, I have seen the number of posts on planet about some people leaving. The Ubuntu people are taking the time to give the audience a ‘heads up’ about their leaving, which I have rarely seen in the few years I’ve monitored Debian. This is a good thing as it give others a change to alter their behavior rather than appear confused about the leaving persons lack of contribution. Its also a good thing for these folks to monitor their own energy levels and step away for a while so that when they return they can contribute in a more positive way. I’d rather folks leave temporarily than permentaly. It also way be useful to get a survey once a year to ask if an ubuntu member has taken a break and ask what could be done to improve their experiance contributing to Ubuntu.
#8 by LaserJock on July 12, 2007 - 2:31 pm
Quote
Well, I can really only speak to my specific situation, but essentially Ubuntu is just too addictive for me. I’ve actually tried the “slow down” approach for almost 1 year (I said after Dapper I’d slow down) and it just wasn’t working for me, probably from my own lack of discipline I guess.
At some point things just get overwhelming and you’ve just got to back out, take a deep breath, and figure out what you gotta do. For me it was passing on some projects to other people (who *have* stepped up, which is awesome) and getting rid of some big time-wasters.
I wasn’t going to blog my “break” but I heard that people were asking about me on IRC so I thought I should at least tell people what’s going on, as embarrassing as it is for me. I owe the community that at least.
When I come back it will be at a more moderate and sane level. So to answer your question, sometimes you gotta step back and smell the roses before you can even figure out what “moderation” is and do it in a responsible way..
#9 by sharms on July 12, 2007 - 2:35 pm
Quote
Jordan,
Totally satisfied my curiosity. Thanks!