Re: Q to all candidates: increase diversity with DDs outside Europe and USA
(I'll turn your questions around)
* Paulo Henrique de Lima Santana <phls@debian.org> [2019-03-30 13:51]:
> It's important increase diversity in Debian with DD especially from
> southern hemisphere, right?
I believe it's important, yes. I actually had a phone call about this
topic last week with a researcher (looking at a FOSS community in
Bangladesh) who asked me what kind of outreach efforts there are in the
FOSS world. Not enough, imho.
There are a number of reasons why many FOSS contributors are from
"developed"/"Western" nations, e.g. time, access to computers,
Internet, language, etc. There are also cultural reasons, e.g. in
particular in some Asian countries it's very bad to be criticized in
public. After spending some time with Jonathan Carter in South Africa
last year, I've also come to appreciate how lucky I am with a passport
from an EU country -- Jonathan has to get a visa for a lot of
countries where I can just show up and stay 1-3 months. While Debian
can't solve that issue, we can e.g. ensure bursary decisions are made
early so people have enough time to apply for visas.
Frankly, English is another thing that puts some people at a great
advantage and others at a great disadvantage. But I don't see how we
can solve that one. (It's good that most communication in Debian is
written, so at least you can take your time and get it right.)
> So, what the DPL can do to increase the number of DDs in other regions
> outside Europe and USA?
The DPL can encourage mini DebConfs and other local meetups, such as
BSPs. Once we have 1-2 people, it's much easier to get more people
involved since they will tell their friends about Debian, help them
get involved, etc. Encourage existing Debian developers to meet up
with people when they travel.
The DPL can encourage an inclusive community and cultural
understanding. Just creating more awareness about stumbling blocks
that people face helps because it many cases people simply have no
idea (e.g. the visa issue mentioned above). I've definitely learned a
lot through my involvement in Debian. (And after spending a few months
in the southern hemisphere last year, I'm less likely to write
"summer" and "winter" to refer to certain months ;)
The DPL can encourage and support existing outreach mechanisms, such
as bursaries for DebConf and Outreachy, etc.
These are just some ideas. I don't actually have great insights on
how to improve the situation, but this is definitely an area I'm
interested in and I'm open for ideas.
--
Martin Michlmayr
https://www.cyrius.com/
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