Changeset: Getting Open Source Unstuck

Archive

Maintainer guides: spending, succession, & more

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work, including the book I’m working on. In this edition I’ll share new maintainer skills guides and other recent writing, and link to useful tools and resources. (If you have trouble getting the hyperlinks, view as HTML or use the archived version on the web at https://buttondown.email/Changeset .)

I have some upcoming availability to give virtual talks (including stand-up comedy) and to coach open source maintainers, leads, and managers. Questions I have helped people with include:

  • Why did this initiative go awry and how do I move forward?

  • Leaders in our open source project have a technical disagreement and are tough to talk with; can I lead us forward, and how?

  • What can I do to help the new team members onboard better than I did?

  • We're holding an onsite where a distributed team will get to work together; what schedule will make the best use of that time?

  • What am I looking for next in my career, and how do I get there?

Key maintainer skills guides

#12
September 7, 2022
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A talk on June 7th, hiring, 5 ways projects get stuck, & more

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work and writing.

Today I’ll invite you to an upcoming talk, share some recent writing, list a few useful new tools and resources, and publicize some places hiring people to do open source.

(For prettier formatting, view as HTML or see the archived version on the web at https://buttondown.email/Changeset .)

Upstream talk on June 7th

#11
June 1, 2022
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5 book recs, internship program tips, and a holiday on Dec 21st

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work, including the book I’m writing with advice for maintaining legacy projects.

This is my fourth and last newsletter of 2021. I’ll share a bit more of the book in progress, recommend a few books that have influenced me, and tell you about a few useful tools and resources.

(For hyperlinks, view as HTML or see the archived version on the web at https://buttondown.email/Changeset .)

Five book recommendations

#10
December 17, 2021
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Maintainer skills workshops & an early book excerpt

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work, including the book I’m writing: advice for maintaining legacy projects.

The most urgent part of this email: If your open source project is part of Open Source Collective, you’re eligible to attend my upcoming workshops for free – sign up now!

Also today, I’ll share some of my recent writing and talks – and share more of my unreleased book-in-progress, on reasons why open source participants end up overcommitting and flaking out. And finally I’ll leave you with some jokes. (For hyperlinks, view as HTML or see the archived version on the web at https://buttondown.email/Changeset .)

Free maintainer skills workshops through Open Source Collective

#9
December 1, 2021
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A livechat today, amnesty days, hiring, & an early book excerpt

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work, including the book I’m working on.

I’ll talk about upcoming talks and book progress, then share some of my recent writing, and tell you about useful new opportunities, tools and resources. (For hyperlinks, view as HTML or see the archived version on the web at https://buttondown.email/Changeset .) This is a longer one than usual, so the most urgent news first, including an event TODAY:

Upcoming talks, May & June

#8
May 7, 2021
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A reopened grant, a plaintive LaTeX comment, & a vision of a healthy industry

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work.

I’ll talk a little about my book in progress and some past and upcoming conference talks, then tell you about useful new resources, and close out with a few laughs. For hyperlinks, view as HTML or see the archived version on the web at https://buttondown.email/Changeset .

Getting Unstuck – the book

As a subscriber, you should have already gotten a copy of . Please do let me know if you haven’t! I’m now talking with publishers and working on the full book. Related material shows up on my blog and in my talks – for instance:

#7
March 1, 2021
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New ebook, grant-funded open source work, availability

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work.

I’ll talk a little about Changeset’s client projects, then tell you about useful new tools and resources, refer you to a few other consultants you should know about, and mention Changeset’s availability for new work. For hyperlinks, view as HTML or see the archived version on the web at https://buttondown.email/Changeset .

Book & conference talks

#6
December 31, 2020
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Read the Docs and Tidelift, archetypes, tutorials, referrals, and more

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work.

I’ll talk a little about Changeset’s client projects, then tell you about grants you can apply for and useful new tools and resources, refer you to a few other consultants you should know about, and mention Changeset’s availability for new work.

Client work

You’re getting a preview here of some blurbs I’ll be posting on changeset.nyc, and a blog post or two!

#5
July 18, 2018
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PyCon/OSBridge, new internship program, & tools question

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work.

I write to you from a train; I’m headed to Cleveland for PyCon North America, where I’ll co-lead the Python packaging sprint. I’ll arrive May 10th and leave early May 18th. If you’ll be there too, I hope we can chat; let me know!

I’m also planning to attend the final Open Source Bridge http://opensourcebridge.org/blog/ in Portland, Oregon, June 29, in case you’ll be there too. (Changeset is also a sponsor of this year’s OSBridge.)

#4
May 9, 2018
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PyPI, working with bad patches, theater, & availability

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work.

Working on

2017 was, by far, Changeset’s busiest year. The firm helped grow the Zulip community, spearheaded a language-agnostic, general-purpose linter tool for OpenNews, and worked on two different government health IT applications, just to name the biggest projects. I wrote up a year-in-review post at https://www.harihareswara.net/sumana/2018/01/02/0 in case you want more details.

Just in the last few months, I started working on two exciting projects with organizations close to my heart. I’m thrilled that the Electronic Frontier Foundation hired Changeset to improve HTTPS Everywhere’s project workflow for developers & maintainers, working with Kate Chapman via Cascadia Technical Mentorship. And, thanks to funding by Mozilla’s open source grants program and via the Python Software Foundation, the Python Package Index – basic Python community infrastructure – is getting a long-awaited overhaul. I’m the lead project manager on that effort, and Laura Hampton is assisting me.

#3
February 7, 2018
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programming counterculture, GSoC, and interesting work

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work.

I’ve been working with several clients, and wrote a few pieces you might like. And I’m speaking at some upcoming conferences – and a government hearing.

Clients:

For several months I’ve been working on Zulip, a great group chat application whose next release is due out this week. I’m also pleased I got to help Wikimedia Indonesia by auditing their code and documentation improvements for a grant funder. More about my Zulip and WMID work at https://changeset.nyc/clients.html .

#2
February 2, 2017
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grants, PyPI changes, & negative-yet-kind code review

Hi, newsletter subscribers! Thanks for being interested in Changeset Consulting and my open source project management work. I’d like to share a few opportunities you might like to take:

  • The Mozilla Open Source Support grants have opened two new funding tracks, Mission Partners and Secure Open Source.

“The Mission Partners track is open to any open source/free software project which is undertaking an activity which significantly furthers Mozilla’s mission.... The minimum award for the Mission Partners track is $10,000, and the maximum is $250,000.”

#1
July 11, 2016
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