okay so the average age was about nineteen years old we had people who are
as young as nine
and as old as i was which was
twenty seven or twenty six
so pretty young
and you know you don't think like well for some people so i would be
know about formal software development right
they're just they were they were pretty much we need
and that would be important later
we had cooled things like swallowed laps
in those days we used to be able to take any X program and just
swallowed in to be the panel so we had all cries of interesting stuff
but really fit all these things all these features and options and so forth it
really was
on sustain
you know and we had
we had there was a big male that's was pretty famous and gonna buy havoc
pennington there's basically it says we can't keep doing this
and we have to improve
and one thing i heard about right is that just was are rated ready to
drop us
you know
and i say this is like because we're gonna go about why do we go
from one point a to point there's a lot of reasons why people to widen
we just keep doing what we were doing
so we were talking about two point
we were transitioning from
and immature board group of
boys and young men
to
something more formal right we were growing up as a project going on was growing
a we have to care about A P I N B I stability
we have to
worry about these things because application developers are saying well i can depend on this
it
it we can do any of this stuff because you keep changing things
so
we really had to get serious and
do something
and
i say that because today than i was a very conservative project right we don't
we don't allow for a patch as get extreme
scrutiny
so it's not easy to get in and being able to do something
so i this is sort of the background where we can
so
when we will to can own to there was a lot of also
i mean you know people are change
they just
the like and like there be like what did you do this why do but
you remove this feature what did you do that right and
and the thing is that
what do we knew about can really average back
what did been
again tickets consider a range right
free software was probably young you know and
we left
we like a lot of
things onset we had allowed are can you need to write our story for us
right
so when people you when you see these gold thread still say you see a
common theme complaints from people you know what
such as like every month points was like
we didn't we didn't and it wouldn't explain to them
why we change use X
we managed you can tell the context
we don't really give them anything to really
hold on to so
we allow people to write our story for us and we just went on you
see
whole bunch of complaints and you know it didn't matter that was free software back
that we all that everybody was yell that it was a bizarre model right that's
what you're doing
so
question is if you look back we said could we have done better
and
i don't know i don't know the answer for that i don't think we could
have done better
like i said a three to is relatively unheard
for that all that thank you many management
we don't really do that
and so
we just sort of let it pass and
do whatever you need to do
but then
after ten years of development
brno three came along
and it was a different well
but when we plan this really is
we spend an enormous amount of time and this is
we had videos we had great release notes i mean we never did a that
you know to i mean we never had the kind of release notes were doing
today arguably was by one of the best plan releases we did not want
what happened at we don't want that
four point thing but
i knew i knew that it was gonna be
hard just based on what happened what one or two point
because we really did change a lot of things right
and
for me personally i didn't want anybody to write our story
i didn't
think
we needed to be ready
when the onslaught occur
so
initial reactions
was not exactly what
wasn't was less than spectacular right i mean i think we could summon up to
that
the unholy mess that is be known three
which was done by
we used for about
and
can we really blame that right
we change me change interactions completely
we the interface is change completely we do niemann
there's nothing there was no bridge between be known to dig around three
how did one
go from one to the other especially if you've spent ten years on a our
work flow
and suddenly you want to this so it's not it's not always
it was not going to be so that
just because people had invested so much time on this on the desktop
so
understandably
there was a lot of outrage
i mean a lot of outrage
and we had a probably must
so
that's it can see
it's a different world out there right now trying to gonna two days you have
social wouldn't have to face but we didn't have
a whole any we have a lot we have footer whitman have a lot of
things
and
things can go bad news travels fast
bad news travels faster
ugly news travels even faster than that
so social really increases proliferation
and then you get you get this bad news you know this is the last
one that i meander you heard that joke many times
or maybe were staring into the abyss
there is there is
the there's all the stuff and then you know the news media picks it up
and it just goes on and on a not and the whole point is
how do you control all those you know and how do you control and make
sure that
we're always maintaining are best face forward
so i which is required a pretty they have these for damage control
and trying to make sure we change the conversation
so that's really the importance of engaging
it's important and greater kidder critics
explain our motivations
and the design and
when we engage
barbora communicating are intact right
we're saying this is why we're doing something
if somebody complains about the lack of feature or real terminal is solely not without
transfers you dear god why
it's not it's because
the specific reasons
and you know a lot some of that is because of not enough resources whatever
it is but if we don't challenge that then we fall into the same thing
right we're always talking about remove feature well we don't or remove transparency see they're
doing it again
and you have to be
always out there and
when you do
when you do go out there and you challenge your critics
they will see grouchy
i have turned i had done is many times somebody anybody on the internet can
sit there and
saves whatever battle there
if you come up there and you tell them that's not sure
i work are gonna
that's not true and they will back down
it has happened many times be conversation changes
and when the conversation changes you control the conversation you control the conversation and you
change the conversation
and that is one of the great benefits of engagement
because we are able to do
that kind of thing it's actually quite rewarding when you can change minds
so
this
is when you shouldn't do
don't engage don't sit around or stick your head in the same
you don't you don't wanna do that
because if you don't but something else writes it your story for you again it's
all about writing the story you don't wanna tell let somebody else saying this is
what can and stands for
this is what they do we don't want that all
so don't stick your hands and don't
don't disengage
you know when three pornos come out there was no developers out there now there's
a lot of the reasons for that and that was and they had just finished
report out there trying to stabilisation but there was no apparatus
to
hold all those creepy
critiquing are criticising right
so
we had
we have to do a lot of a lot of engagement i mean there and
there is our apparatus we have lots of high profile people yet used or about
that in the one are you have all these people who have this year to
the media complaining
and
we didn't really explain ourselves today
so
engage and
was slow
we start off very slow
we didn't we didn't have any mechanism to
talk about engagement in a tackle but we didn't have any mechanism to
to
show what we're doing right we had we had really snows we had all those
great stuff about how cool everything was
but
we didn't say why
why don't we do this
we didn't wouldn't do any that's that
and when usa what was the what was the reason why we had
you know hotspots or things like that what was the reason for all
so where was where was the explanation
for that
and so
that's where
things goes wrong right and
and you don't and you lose track of the conversation
so which really was time to get
serious right
we need to pull together
our communication channels and
really engage the community right so we did a number things we created the facebook
profile we created a tutor account we did a google plus
we did everything we could to make sure that we can control the message
we consolidated begin on name space on I R C we controlled entire signal space
nobody can create a good on channel without are say so
and
you know
i took on a lot
kernel developers picks like that
just happened my bad like that
i'd being game being employed that open source technology centre i also have to have
i also have a lock from developers and X developers and approach stick so you
why will go plus pages probably filled with flames
but you know
and i took it even further i actually searched
eighteen we have tag you know
engage them even i didn't did pass so i wasn't possible and that's all i
was impressed i went through and i found anybody i can any wild eyed person
on the internet i mean you know because it was worth it i went to
like read it and i would to read slashdot whatever it was
and you know i put myself out there because i need to make sure that
we we're putting are best face forward and we are communicating
so
how the how that there
right
i guess people to order based
but the google plus can is been pretty good
and even on L W N same thing
it can be really rewarding and you can change minds
and you and if even that they're not you know they're upset with you know
whatever it is
you have built a reputation for yourself
so your own personal reputation goes up
and people will look at user trustworthy resource
for anything related to good know or just as a person
so
that's
and
and so and on the other the other common want to make was that you
know at this point
it's just a self sustaining
so we could have a bad news day
and we could see comments where we will actually see people say that why like
about three what's wrong with it so
before we didn't have any way in like in ago today's happy to these people
saying at it was silence now i have people's challenging
well i'm the people i i'm not you're doing that other people are doing that
and you know
it's great and we have forums now we have that we will plus pages are
have been on developers who are ford a rubber so going out there has been
questions even writing extensions sample extensions things like that is all huge positive things and
i think i think
despite whatever who are articles you see on planet or whatever it is you know
we're
we're turning the corner this
you know returning the corner
so the question is
is our job
and
that's an interesting question
and i'm gonna say no i think not by a long shot we have a
lot of work to go into because it's a sustaining model continue moderate you're always
gonna have to do that because always gonna be amiss some misconception or something
so
so it's really important we continue to engage your own community our that our committee
but
what can be found out from disaster the posters that we also they need to
do outreach to our internally right
there are a lot of people who are maybe not sure about where we're going
or what for doing and we should really
have our conversation within ourselves
so that we don't have posted talks about
the last one a core
this or any other thing where people are not sure we should read if we
they should come to us and that's a that's a role that really managers to
be able to have someone to go to
to talk about doubts
instead of taking into the airways
right so
so we need to that's something we need to work we need to be able
to do community involvement internal
but
so drinking we might
i guess the number
different case you know a lot of people don't do what i do which is
will and engage people aggressively and
finding fights and here is probably are used a stipulate and good i was
well the thing to do is sort of a way to pass time and now
we have a bit of scotch
and whatnot
good times right good times so
so
but they're gonna do it right there that there's something is or if you're an
introvert you probably the support not something free
and if you're sensitive or you lose your temper a lot usually lose bought another
thing for you
you're a measure requires patience
and i mean a lot of patience
it also requires repeating yourself
absolutely
you can have the you can have an argument you can repeat the same thing
over there is always something really interesting about that
because if you say it and you say in the soothing voice
they actually do
stop complaining
i
and they back up and sort of like okay
and they will try what you tried everything like green exit
the same thing
create a i think i have actually is that so
but the other thing is obviously part
no matter how ugly yes
be possible and you'll get to say that the previous screen i showed but people
say the argument compliments is precisely that if you're keeping a positive it or track
the other person you actually get results
so a couple times be sincere
don't
yes
in the and i know that some you know you need to be across a
cheerleader it something socks and you agree you say
i agree it sucks
people will believe you're always going to be defensive
so
so it's a if you don't this if you agree i agree you're right it's
something we need to work on
let me let me get back
it was about patience
D free software person
it's very emotional based
they are
passion is a double edge sword
so
the passion that drives people to write code
also dies and to be email
and it is it is that it's a fight a because they will blabber about
think so again
you gotta you gotta keep saying this is what we do it this is how
we doing this is why we doing you gotta have to repeat yourself and
so
i'm kind of repeating myself here and there but
you do need to keep positive and it is gonna be worthwhile
the other important point is
and this is something to learn from marketing i used when i was in college
i was actually part of a marketing
college group and we were selling
that we have the me stuff that we were
i providing
i opportunity companies to get interns from other countries
and what things
i think that there's some training when things you go through is that we're marketing
somebody you need to get something
anything head paper phone number
whatever
so i'm applying that principle to complainers
it somebody complains something i can why we're doing this way so the file but
help the bottle but do it can to get
then to invest
and the project some way some shape where for
i did i did this to kernel develop this
they start complaining and actually file but it's very easy to complain but if you
can get them to actually file and do something
big way
and
be could definitely in we want to do that we wanna turn complacent to
in to do is if they don't like the direction of the project
get an ball jointed a foundation
do something
because only then you're gonna have a voice if you have a voice then you
have a way to change
so
that's how i've always approach people who complain is that
well you can't you can't complain
and then not invest time
that you don't get anything for free
so in the end it's a mixed bag
where they change their minds are not at least to remember you
and
really when you remember you then you can always restart the conversation elation because
nothing stays the same
the same thing happened one point you were many people that were stripe stabilised
people come back
so our works
everything nothing a static when people say i'm done jumper just one to katie
there we like there will be
katie will do something like come back
sorry does like the idea tell you that
the free stuff or animals or emotional first
couple yes
i want people to go out there and then
do can really measure it and then speaker to go foundation
you don't
really people or experience are people who kindled
be part of the project
because you are at that point representing you know
and it would be
better
if you had somebody who's done this before and you know you don't actually put
your foot in your mouth
unintended
so if you're into a problem we should contact me or somewhere else on the
marketing team
but
go out there engage
so this is pretty much a lot had for my top
i can have some questions
by
hi and it's not exactly question is mom like it can into just about complete
to say now i would like to say that i think that is important to
talk about complaints about them the fact that sometimes do something that is not very
clear a how do you see how you say sorry i think that is very
important to try to communicate to where we're going and the and the and try
to and to make the in the people to be trust to trust a while
the developer as a doing a for example have them this conversation on some years
ago one and don't really in a already written believe that just read the do
that and some people to all about this now is doesn't work of them to
was that the number but not a to say okay and you had some questions
to ask and so when people come from normal to me what can you i
write for this and for that the from this one a please the passion readjusting
the beginning so know be passion i ask in the don't ask sorry and the
weight that the developer make their work so i think that's very important am trying
to make the people understand that not everything would be done immediately so to have
trust in the community and this is this is good
right
that for the first or we will cover about our approach
those exactly what part is to be brushed for i think a lot there are
saying here is precisely that is
that's where the carriers as is don't put your for
right you're talking because
what's your hope you know you should be fresh
because you're older our reputation
in your as
so people will judge you that
when developers communicate you know i've seen i've seen things that make me cringe so
there was no you'll see you'll see you know developers going out of it kernel
developers and it's like my god okay and for them it's just like what in
was in the going to days it's just this bright they and i
i don't try i mean i jabbed and then just try to keep it simple
but it's not always
possible right this is the same kind of thing with the okay M L and
all that it's just it's just so something but the extra but i don't really
like i guess grows probably are just and going out of that's just really
not the way to behave at least certainly not for our side
the questions
right next regarding right i know