Percona Live Online

Open Source is more than software, and contributions don't just happen at the code level.

Open Source is a development model and a mentality, which differs from legacy, closed, commercial models. Sure, the code is open, but so is communication and collaboration. Or rather, so they should be. Open collaboration is easier said than done, but it's a key aspect of the overall usability and productivity of Open Source software usage.

With MariaDB as the case in point, we look at the use of open tools to collaborate within the community of developers using MariaDB Server. What is the right way to report bugs and request features (over Jira, in our case)? And using and improving documentation (over Knowledgebase, for MariaDB)? Yes, Github hosts the MariaDB source code, but doesn’t it overlap with Jira? How do you get to chat with the fellow developers (over Zulip, in our case)? What is the proper use of blogs? Of Youtube videos? Of conferences? Of Stack Overflow and other tools?

MariaDB does not claim to sit in with the perfect Open Source development and collaboration model. But we have put thought into it. This presentation hopefully provides the audience new ideas to structure their own communication, and gives MariaDB improvement ideas for its own processes.