Tag: GNOME Foundation

Today’s interview is from Seif Lotfy, one of the new GNOME Foundation board members.

Where do you live/work?
Darmstadt, 30km south of Frankfurt Germany.

Why is open source/free software important to you?
I believe open source/free software promotes innovation, due to its nature of crowd sourcing.

How/when/why did you become involved in GNOME?
I started using GNOME in 2004. I had SUSE installed at that point. Later I switched to Ubuntu. I got involved trying to fix a bug in Gimmie that was keeping me away from using it. So I sat down and looked at the python code which seemed to me like pseudo code. 3 weeks later (after learning python) I had my first patch and Alex Graveley motivated me to fix more issues.

Why did you run for the GNOME Foundation Board?
I wanted to contribute to GNOME in more ways then just code, as well as push for more visibility of the board in the community.

What do you hope to accomplish during your term on the board?
I hope to improve and find ways to make GNOME more interesting for its current (as well as potential future) sponsors. Also I am looking forward to developing initiatives to improve the communication within the community

Do you think GNOME is heading in the right direction? Why or why not?
While I think the direction (GNOME OS) is very noble, I fear that maybe it was not thought out properly. I hope to be able to assess the long and short term implications with the rest of the board this year.

Have you attended GUADEC in the past? If so, when/where?
My first GUADEC was during Desktop Summit 2009 in Gran Canaria, it was really exciting. I have been to every following GUADEC (Desktop Summit) ever since.

What are you looking forward to most at GUADEC?
Meeting up with fellow developers that I communicate mostly online. Also enjoy outings after the hackfests.

Any other thoughts on GUADEC and/or GNOME?
GUADEC has always been awesome, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon. And there wouldn’t be GUADEC without GNOME.

Our next interview comes from one of the new members of the GNOME Foundation Board of Directors Tobias Mueller.

Where do you live/work?
I live in Hamburg, in the lovely north of Germany.

Why is open source/free software important to you?
I believe that Free Software makes the world a better place. Also, as I am a bit of a computer security person, it is absolutely crucial to be able to see how the software in question works and be able to eventually fix issues (or have someone fix them).

How/when/why did you become involved in GNOME?
I’ve been using GNOME since I actively started using Free Software, probably back in 2002. I started to follow it more and more until I became greatly involved as a Summer of Code student in 2007.

Why did you run for the GNOME Foundation Board?
I have been around GNOME for about 5 years now and while I enjoy being in the community I also want to progress within GNOME and take on new responsibilities.

What do you hope to accomplish during your term on the board?
I hope to push the revamp of the bylaws and enable people to work together more effectively.

Do you think GNOME is heading in the right direction? Why or why not?
I think GNOME is doing well so far, but it must not rest (decadence anyone?). We have very smart people in our community and we should enable them to get awesome stuff done for both GNOME and the world of Free Software generally.

Have you attended GUADEC in the past? If so, when/where?
My first GUADEC was the one in Birmingham in 2007.

What are you looking forward to most at GUADEC?
To see friends again and have nice discussions.

Any other thoughts on GUADEC and/or GNOME?
GNOME is a great community and GUADEC is a good place to get in touch. Sometimes though, it might not be comfortable for newcomers to chime in. I still remember myself being too shy to talk to some great GNOME people. So while I recommend young GNOMErs not to be shy, maybe a “This is GNOME” introductory session for new GNOME people might be a good idea.