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Mon, Jun 25, 2007 15:58 EDT

The Sprint Experience

Topic: Development

Blog: You're the Boss

Current Rating: 4 Comments: 3

Open source contributors largely work alone and remotely. Every so often, though, it's worthwhile to gather in person. Just as runners "sprint" to cover as much distance as possible in a short period of time, open source developers get together to accomplish a lot of programming in 3-5 days.

This week, in addition to me doing my ordinary duties at CIO.com, I'm participating in a dual-purpose sprint for the Plone content management system. About half the thirty-or-so participants are working to add more e-commerce functionality to Plone; the rest of us are working on documentation. (I'm an editor, so I'm here to spiff-up the words that others write.) During the week, I post updates about "the sprint experience," with an eye to showing IT managers what's involved... and possibly encouraging your company to sponsor a sprint for whichever open source software you use and rely upon. (I hope the info is also useful to plone developers who may be peeking in to see what progress is being made.)

This Plone sprint has several sponsors, the most prominent of which is Google. (I think it's part of their Summer of Code.) We're working in a conference room at the Googleplex, with access to their Guest network, eating their catered food. (There were two non-negotiable rules: wear a badge at all times, and no photos of the conference room or of the food. It's the first time I've encountered food under NDA.) We're scribbling on Google's whiteboards as well as sharing an IRC channel. I think Google also arranged for a group rate at a nearby hotel (I'm staying elsewhere).

But you don't need to provide an office to help out a sprint. We have a several cases of Yerba Mate and teas and chocolate from Guayaki, which is hoping to gain visibility in the geek market. (Unlike caffeine, I'm told, yerba mate doesn't consume your body's vitamin C, but it'll give you energy. How appropriate for this week.) But hey, any sponsorship that includes chocolate is fine in my book!

I'm not sure what expectations you'd bring to the idea of "throw a bunch of open source people in a room and see what comes out." One might be that it's a set of young college kids with nose rings and a lack of direction. Instead, I'd guess that most participants are in their 30s and 40s, and the developers


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Average (5 votes)
4
 
 
Mon, Jun 25, 2007 19:20 EDT
Anonymous user
Posted by: Anonymous
Rating: 58

With due respect to your deadlines and responsibilities, I just don't think you have the experience to summarize the experience of the open source development community. To characterize OS developers as working in isolation completely misses the point of the technologies that enable people to NOT work in isolation. I'm glad you're experiencing the OS community. Please, just don't make your anthropological summaries in absence of you're experience. I don't care what are you're editorial deadlines.

 
Tue, Jun 26, 2007 17:44 EDT
Posted by: Esther Schindler
Rating: 90

I'm sure there's a more articulate way to say this, Anonymous, but Huh?!

I don't claim to summarize the experience of The  (capital T) open source community, or even A (capital A) open source community. However, I can certainly report what I see based on my participation (not just observation but active involvement) in this specific community this week.

Statistically speaking, most open source developers do work largely on their own: on their own time, without it being their Day Job, from the comfort of their own home. And sometimes it helps to get together to scribble on a white board together. Did you read past the first paragraph of my blog post?

 
Thu, Jun 28, 2007 14:25 EDT
Anonymous user
Posted by: JoAnna
Rating: 90

Hey Esther!
Just as a quick clarification for your readers, the Plone Doccom sprint is not a part of Google Summer of Code (one of our sprinters is participating in that project as well though). And while Google has provided us with space and fantastic food, the Plone community has done the rest of the planning...from negotiating hotel rates, providing transportation, and finding sponsors to donate money. In fact, a lot of our sponsors even attend the sprint, like Joel Burton from Plone Bootcamps, www.plonebootcamps.com . (shameless plug, I know, but he is our biggest sponsor and THE reason we were able to be here this week)
As an organizer for this sprint, I have to say that the way the Plone community rallies around the sprint and sprinters is truly amazing and an example of what makes open source so great.

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