I've been a Linux user at home for about 10 years. I was introduced through Ubuntu/Mint, became competent on Arch, and matured on Debian. I run a software department for a flight simulation company of about 15 engineers. We exclusively run Debian and I have been maintaining our machines plus a small local apt repository with meta-packages and internal software.
My first contribution occurred because we needed a realtime performance tuning tool (tuna). I wanted to avoid making my engineers download/compile/install it from sources, so I packaged it and threw it on an internal repository. Once I figured that out, I decided that it would make for a good contribution to Debian. I joined some teams and have just kept going.
I found the experience to be mutually beneficial. Debian received a contribution, while I discovered a network of knowledge which helps me to develop our software architectures, deployment strategies, and to build contacts with people who really understand software in a way that helps me break out of my technical bubble. It also helps me to ensure that any software my team needs is available from official Debian repositories. I'm happy to deploy internally, but making it available to more users helps to keep it tested, stable, and working.
Most of my work has been in the DPMT and PAPT teams. I've been to a BSP, solved several RC bugs, investigated others, upgraded several python2 libraries to python3, and have contributed 4 NEW packages (hopefully 5 soon).
My areas of interest are currently in Python (we do a lot of scripting), but I'm also looking to help anywhere else that may help small enterprises including VNC servers, realtime utilities, systemd APIs, or LDAP administration. I've been training myself by migrating python packages from 2->3.
In terms of goals, I need a Free OS which will support me long-term (20+ years). I need that OS to stay relevant to the desktop and small enterprise environment for years to come. By contributing to Debian, I can help that to happen.
I've been a Linux user at home for about 10 years. I was introduced through Ubuntu/Mint, became competent on Arch, and matured… Expand