Re: Question on community to the candidates.

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

On Mon, 2015-05-25 at 21:16 -0700, Sriram Ramkrishna wrote:
> It is my impression (and I state impression because I am providing no
> data) that GNOME has more reliance on people paid to work on GNOME
> than community.  I do not question the passion and dedication to those
> who are paid on GNOME, I know that they would do it as a community
> even if they were not paid.

I'll echo Alexandre's response. The reason we have so many paid
contributors is because people get jobs as a result of their work as
volunteers. This is a Good Thing(TM).

I don't think we have a problem, but I do think we need to be aware of
the situation to ensure we don't have a problem. We need to make sure
that decisions aren't made around the water cooler, that things are
communicated on mailing lists, and that we have a welcoming environment
for new contributors.

One of the best uses of the Foundation's funds, in my opinion, is paying
for volunteer contributors to attend hackfests. Hackfests are more than
just working sessions. They're where decisions are made and community is
built. People should not be locked out of them just because they can't
afford to attend.

--
Shaun