Would you attend a Christmas party where you knew no one? Like, not, one, single, person. Perhaps, if the hors dโoeuvres were tasty and margaritas were flowing. Although, attending a staff Christmas party on your first day of work would still be less awkward.
What about a Christmas party where you knew no one and had to bring your own nibbles and drinks? Sounds pretty desperate, although you do now have a natural conversation starter – โWhat did you bring to drink? Want to try my Florida OJ?โ
Anyhow, Iโm going to a Christmas party exactly like this, and Iโm looking forward to it. So much in fact, that Iโm the organiser. WTF Frank, I hear you say. Well donโt laugh, but I actually have three RSVPs already!
Itโs true, and if you were a maintainer on Spectre.Console, our open-source project, then you would have received an invite too. Unlike many other open-source projects, we are having a virtual Christmas party, to foster social cohesion amongst individuals who donโt know each other.
Early in my open source career, I submitted several โimportantโ PRs only to have them languish, unreviewed. I tagged a few maintainers, and DMโs them a week later on Slack – still nothing. My eagerness for fame and praise quickly turned to bitterness.
With much self-reflection and personal honesty, I asked myself the question:
Did I really want to contribute to open source, or did I want to be a talented jerk who walked away feeling frustrated at maintainers who volunteer their free time, simply because they didnโt immediately address my disguised emotional needs?
I came to understand that open source is nothing like salaried software development, and is undoubtedly a barren place if you are seeking fast feedback and quick ego gratification.
Instead, I sincerely wanted to be a proud open-source contributor, and remembered for being an excellent one at that.
Open source teams work in the most challenging of circumstances, and anything to nurture strong working relationships is helpful. Arranging a get together for individuals who donโt know each other and may never meet, is a contribution Iโm proud to make.
Whilst several of my PRs remain unreviewed, they will be merged in good time, and my experience is no different to other contributors when I review their PRs. In the meantime, Merry Christmas ๐ and bottoms up, everyone.