Although the word is in the name, Open Source is not always very open. When we look at the most well known contributors to Open Source, we see that they have resources that others may not. Resources such as time, energy, a decent internet connection, little experience of harassment and support from a workplace, or just a job at all.
This is not a talk where you will get the golden solution to making your Open Source project a magical fun place with boundless diversity of people and experiences. It is however, a talk about some of the things we can do to make Open Source (and by association, the industry at large) a more approachable and inclusive place.
Contributing to Open Source is an investment; when we ask others to do it, we ask them to give up their time for us. As maintainers and contributors, it is our job to make the experience enjoyable and worth the effort.
To make a contributor’s stay enjoyable and comfortable, we’ll talk about:
- Why your project should have a Code of Conduct
- How you can use GitHub issues to open the door
- Recognising your limitations as humans
- How code is only a minor part of your project
- How far a friendly attitude can take you
- Using inclusive language in all your interactions