Re: On community influencing (was Re: [PATCH v8 2/2] rust: add dma coherent allocator abstraction.)

Jason Gunthorpe
2025-02-20T16:37:51Z

On Thu, Feb 20, 2025 at 05:24:01PM +0100, Simona Vetter wrote:
> Better analogy aside, I fundamentally disagree with understanding
> maintainership as a gatekeeper role that exists to keep the chaos out. My
> goal is to help build a community where people enjoy collaborating, and
> then gtfo so I don't hinder them. I think the talk I linked above is
> holding up quite well even years later, but the last part really embodies
> that idea, so let me just quote that:
>
> Be a Steward, Not a Lord
>
> I think one of key advantages of open source is that people stick
> around for a very long time. Even when they switch jobs or move
> around. Maybe the usual “for life” qualifier isn’t really a great
> choice, since it sounds more like a mandatory sentence than something
> done by choice. What I object to is the “dictator” part, since if your
> goal is to grow a great community and maybe reach world domination,
> then you as the maintainer need to serve that community. And not that
> the community serves you.

+1

I agree and try, as best I can, to embody this.

Jason