Jekyll2024-03-19T23:04:04+01:00https://danielpocock.com/feed/gsoc.xmlDaniel Pocock’s personal blog | GsocSoftware engineer, Free, Open Source Software Consultant, Innovator, Fedora & Debian Developer
How Kosovo won DebConf212020-02-27T16:10:00+01:002020-02-27T16:10:00+01:00https://danielpocock.com/how-kosovo-won-debconf21<p>On 20 February, the DebConf team announced that <a href="https://lists.debian.org/debconf-announce/2020/02/msg00000.html">Kosovo will host DebConf21 in the summer of 2021</a>. DebConf is an annual, week-long conference of Debian Developers, typically attracting between 300 and 600 people to a different host city each year.</p>
<p>The DebConf21 win is a strong endorsement of the work done by local groups including <a href="https://www.flossk.org/">FLOSSK</a>, <a href="https://digitalspoiler.com/codregals-the-first-hackathon-of-prizren-kosovo/">CoderGals Kosovo</a> and Toastmasters.</p>
<p>FLOSSK operate the <a href="http://www.prishtinahackerspace.org/">amazing Prishtina Hackerspace</a> and they have been running an annual event, <a href="https://sfk.flossk.org/">Software Freedom Kosovo (SFK)</a> for ten years now. The CFP deadline for SFK 2020 is imminent, <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfx2wCl2RIZuNOvV4AlfGAXZe8vDnei0iPsNNvryeegaG9OFA/viewform">please submit your proposal before 1 March</a>.</p>
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/assets/sfk2019-bird.png"/>
<p>CoderGals Kosovo ran their first <a href="https://digitalspoiler.com/codregals-the-first-hackathon-of-prizren-kosovo/">Hackathon for Girls in Prizren, 2017</a>.</p>
<p>As a Debian Developer, I've visited and helped organize a number of events in the region covering Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. At the Digital-born Media Carnival in Kotor, 2017, I was fortunate to meet four students from Kosovo, including Albiona and Qendresa Hoti, who told me about their plans to run a hackathon in Prizren. They invited me to attend as an advisor to their event and this was a great opportunity to see the possibilities in Kosovo.</p>
<p>During the hackathon, I could see that the two main strengths of their group were their commitment to team work and the quality of the presentations on the final day.</p>
<p>We collaborated on a number of events together:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://digitalspoiler.com/codregals-the-first-hackathon-of-prizren-kosovo/">CoderGals Hackathon in Prizren, 2017</a></li>
<li><a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEvents/ks/2017/MiniDebConfPrishtina">Prishtina's first Mini DebConf and Fedora Women's Day in 2017</a></li>
<li><a href="https://danielpocock.com/bug-squashing-and-diversity-tirana-2018-03-03/">MiniDebConf Tirana</a></li>
<li><a href="https://danielpocock.com/oscal18-debian-ham-sdr/">Debian booth at OSCAL</a></li>
<li><a href="https://danielpocock.com/free-software-ham-radio-gsoc-in-kosovo-2018-05/">joint meeting of the Prishtina Hackerspace and SHRAK, Kosovo's amateur radio society</a></li>
<li><a href="https://danielpocock.com/sfk-2019-prishtina-toastmasters/">SFK 2019</a></li>
</ul>
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/assets/team-kosovo.jpg" alt="Enkelena and Amire"/>
<p>Three of the young women from Kosovo were successful in being <a href="https://bits.debian.org/2018/05/welcome-gsoc2018-and-outreachy-interns.html">selected for Google Summer of Code in 2018</a> and a number of women from the region also received diversity bursaries to attend DebConf18 (Taiwan) and DebConf19 (Brazil). After their success in GSoC, I went down there personally to welcome them to the program.</p>
<p>Based on my observations from that first event in Kosovo, the hackathon, I felt that many of the students would immediately be able to apply their teamwork and presentation skills with regular Toastmasters meetings. We couldn't find any official group in Kosovo or Albania through the <a href="https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club/">Toastmasters club search</a> so I suggested starting a new one in the <a href="https://ickosovo.com/">Innovation Centre Kosovo (ICK)</a>. The ICK has been an indispensable partner in this activity. Among other things, their publicity unit helped us bring Toastmasters to Kosovan TV:</p>
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<p>After a number of Toastmasters meetings in ICK, it was Albiona Hoti and Enkelena Haxhiu who jumped up at DebConf19 in Brazil to launch a surprise bid for DebConf21 at the last minute. Here is their presentation (fast forward 19:30):</p>
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<source src="https://meetings-archive.debian.net/pub/debian-meetings/2019/DebConf19/debconf21-in-your-city.webm#t=1173,1835" type="video/webm">
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<p>Enkelena has been particularly attentive in following through on the relations with the DebConf team over the last six months, engaging FLOSSK in the bid, <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebConf/21/Bids/Kosovo">documenting the bid on Debian's wiki</a> and establishing Kosovo's strengths to host the event. Albiona has been a key part of the team that is bootstrapping the new Toastmasters group.</p>
<p>It has been a privilege for me to mentor and collaborate with a number of these young leaders on this journey.</p>On 20 February, the DebConf team announced that Kosovo will host DebConf21 in the summer of 2021. DebConf is an annual, week-long conference of Debian Developers, typically attracting between 300 and 600 people to a different host city each year.Diversity at the Australian Open Tennis, Margaret Court and the FSF’s Richard Stallman2020-02-01T00:30:00+01:002020-02-01T00:30:00+01:00https://danielpocock.com/diversity-tennis-australia-fsf-rms<p>In 2020, Tennis Australia presented a special trophy to Margaret Court, one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Court claimed all four major titles in the year 1970 and won a total of 24 grand slams: <a href="https://www.totalsportek.com/tennis/grand-slam-titles-winners-mens-women/">Serena Williams has only won 23 so far and Roger Federer only has 20</a>.</p>
<p>While there is no doubt as to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Court">Court's greatness as an athlete</a>, her views on LGBT people and their rights are controversial and not consistent with the majority of people in the sport today.</p>
<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-27/margaret-court-recognised-at-australian-open-for-grand-slam/11903098">
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/assets/margaret_court_trophy.jpg"/>
</a>
<p>Despite these sensitive issues and the offense they cause to LGBT players in particular, Tennis Australia has still gone ahead with a ceremony to recognize Court's achievements as an athlete, right in the middle of the 2020 Australian Open tournament, on center court, the trophy presented to her by another legend of Australian Tennis, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Laver">Rod Laver</a>.</p>
<p>While doing so, Tennis Australia has made it clear that they are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-25/margaret-court-australian-open-awkward-recognition/11893406">distinguishing her personal views from her sporting achievements, explicitly acknowledging the pain caused by the former</a>. Fellow athletes went further, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/sports/tennis/australian-open-margaret-court.html">Martina Navratilova climbing the umpire's chair and using the microphone to denounce Court</a>.</p>
<p><em>What does diversity mean to you? Is Tennis Australia being true to diversity, by recognising Court's sporting achievements for their athletic merit alone? Or does diversity mean we have to erase those people who don't agree with our own definition of diversity?</em></p>
<p>Compare this to the recent lynchings in Free Software communities around the world.</p>
<p>In 2014, Brendan Eich, one of the co-founders of Mozilla, was promoted to the position of CEO. A lynching-by-Twitter quickly began, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Eich#Mozilla">hounding him to resign barely 10 days later</a> because of his concerns about gay marriage.</p>
<p>In 2019, similar tactics were used to attack Richard Stallman (RMS), founder of the Free Software Foundation. RMS has no homophobic or sexist agenda. He is a computer scientist, not a diplomat and some of his communications could have been worded more carefully. Nonetheless, the dogs were let off their leash, things he had written were used out of context to create a false depiction of him as a villain and within a few days, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman#Resignation_from_MIT_and_Free_Software_Foundation">RMS had resigned</a>.</p>
<p>In contrast to Tennis Australia's memorialisation of Margaret Court's achievements, the FSF has set about deleting RMS's legacy, deleting his name from their history. Newspaper headlines have appeared associating RMS with Jeffrey Epstein, yet there is no evidence that they ever had any contact during Epstein's visits to RMS's former workplace, MIT. This type of press coverage is no accident: it is not only intended to hurt RMS personally, it is also intended to undermine his message of freedom. It is an attack that hurts anybody <a href="https://gbatemp.net/threads/richard-stallman-character-assassination.548033/">with a personality that prioritizes principles over popularity</a>.</p>
<p>In the short term, some of those behind these attacks may be giving themselves high-fives and pats on the back but in the long term, these lynchings send out a subconscious message to volunteers that we are all disposable. If the founder of the movement can be backstabbed on the cusp of his retirement, anybody can. Tennis Australia's celebration of Margaret Court, however, sends out a message that achievement will always have merit and nobody's achievements will be erased for political expedience. Which type of organization would you rather associate with in the long term?</p>
<p>If you have to force people to fit your definition of diversity, you are not promoting diversity at all.</p>
<p>Genuine diversity has its roots in the principles of equality and human rights. Mob justice, censorship and exclusion on political grounds violate human rights and therefore sabotage the foundation upon which diversity is built.</p>In 2020, Tennis Australia presented a special trophy to Margaret Court, one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Court claimed all four major titles in the year 1970 and won a total of 24 grand slams: Serena Williams has only won 23 so far and Roger Federer only has 20.Debian GSoC 2018 report2018-10-19T10:26:03+02:002018-10-19T10:26:03+02:00https://danielpocock.com/debian-gsoc-2018-report<p>One of my major contributions to Debian in 2018 has been participation as a mentor and admin for Debian in <a href="https://danielpocock.com/tags/gsoc">Google Summer of Code (GSoC)</a>.</p>
<p>Here are a few observations about what happened this year, from my personal perspective in those roles.</p>
<p>Making a full report of everything that happens in GSoC is close to impossible. Here I consider issues that span multiple projects and the mentoring team. For details on individual projects completed by the students, please see their final reports <a href="https://lists.debian.org/debian-outreach/2018/08/threads.html">posted in August on the mailing list</a>.</p>
<h3>Thanking our outgoing administrators</h3>
<p>Nicolas Dandrimont and Sylvestre Ledru retired from the admin role after GSoC 2016 and Tom Marble has retired from the Outreachy administration role, we should be enormously grateful for the effort they have put in as these are very demanding roles.</p>
<p>When the last remaining member of the admin team, Molly, asked for people to step in for 2018, knowing the huge effort involved, I offered to help out on a very temporary basis. We drafted a new delegation but didn't seek to have it ratified until the team evolves. We started 2018 with Molly, Jaminy, Alex and myself. The role needs at least one new volunteer with strong mentoring experience for 2019.</p>
<h3>Project ideas</h3>
<p>Google encourages organizations to put project ideas up for discussion and also encourages students to spontaneously propose their own ideas. This latter concept is a significant difference between GSoC and Outreachy that has caused unintended confusion for some mentors in the past. I have frequently put teasers on my blog, without full specifications, to see how students would try to respond. Some mentors are much more precise, telling students exactly what needs to be delivered and how to go about it. Both approaches are valid early in the program.</p>
<h3>Student inquiries</h3>
<p>Students start sending inquiries to some mentors well before GSoC starts. When Google publishes the list of organizations to participate (that was on 12 February this year), the number of inquiries increases dramatically, in the form of personal emails to the mentors, inquiries on the <a href="https://lists.debian.org/debian-outreach">debian-outreach mailing list</a>, the IRC channel and many project-specific mailing lists and IRC channels.</p>
<p>Over 300 students contacted me personally or through the mailing list during the application phase (between 12 February and 27 March). This is a huge number and makes it impossible to engage in a dialogue with every student. In the last years where I have mentored, 2016 and 2018, I've personally put a bigger effort into engaging other mentors during this phase and introducing them to some of the students who already made a good first impression.</p>
<p>As an example, <a href="https://tookmund.com">Jacob Adams</a> first inquired about my <a href="https://danielpocock.com/dvd-based-clean-room-for-pgp-and-pki">PKI/PGP Clean Room idea</a> back in <a href="https://alioth-lists.debian.net/pipermail/pki-clean-room-devel/Week-of-Mon-20180108/000070.html">January</a>. I was really excited about his proposals but I knew I simply didn't have the time to mentor him personally, so I added his blog to <a href="https://planet.debian.org">Planet Debian</a> and suggested he put out a call for help. One mentor, <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DanieleNicolodi">Daniele Nicolodi</a> replied to that and I also introduced him to <a href="https://thomaslevine.com/">Thomas Levine</a>. They both generously volunteered and together with Jacob, ensured a <a href="https://tookmund.com/2018/08/pgp-clean-room">successful project</a>. While I originally started the clean room, they deserve all the credit for the enhancements in 2018 and this emphasizes the importance of those introductions made during the early stages of GSoC.</p>
<p>In fact, there were half a dozen similar cases this year where I have interacted with a really promising student and referred them to the mentor(s) who appeared optimal for their profile.</p>
<p>After my recent travels in the Balkans, a number of people from Albania and Kosovo expressed an interest in GSoC and Outreachy. The students from Kosovo found that their country was not listed in the application form but the Google team very promptly added it, allowing them to apply for GSoC for the first time. Kosovo still can't participate in the Olympics or the World Cup, but they can compete in GSoC now.</p>
<p>At this stage, I was still uncertain if I would mentor any project myself in 2018 or only help with the admin role, which I had only agreed to do on a very temporary basis until the team evolves. Nonetheless, the day before student applications formally opened (12 March) and after looking at the interest areas of students who had already made contact, I decided to go ahead mentoring a single project, the wizard for new students and contributors.</p>
<h3>Student selections</h3>
<p>The application deadline closed on 27 March. At this time, Debian had 102 applications, an increase over the 75 applications from 2016. Five applicants were female, including three from Kosovo.</p>
<p>One challenge we've started to see is that since Google reduced the stipend for GSoC, Outreachy appears to pay more in many countries. Some women put more effort into an Outreachy application or don't apply for GSoC at all, even though there are far more places available in GSoC each year. GSoC typically takes over 1,000 interns in each round while Outreachy can only accept approximately 50.</p>
<p>Applicants are not evenly distributed across all projects. Some mentors/projects only receive one applicant and then mentors simply have to decide if they will accept the applicant or cancel the project. Other mentors receive ten or more complete applications and have to spend time studying them, comparing them and deciding on the best way to rank them and make a decision.</p>
<p>Given the large number of project ideas in Debian, we found that the Google portal didn't allow us to use enough category names to distinguish them all. We contacted the Google team about this and they very quickly increased the number of categories we could use, this made it much easier to tag the large number of applications so that each mentor could filter the list and only see their own applicants.</p>
<p>The project I mentored personally, a wizard for helping new students get started, attracted interest from 3 other co-mentors and 10 student applications. To help us compare the applications and share data we gathered from the students, we set up a shared spreadsheet using Debian's <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/Services/storm.debian.net">Sandstorm instance</a> and Ethercalc. Thanks to Asheesh and Laura for setting up and maintaining this great service.</p>
<h3>Slot requests</h3>
<p>Switching from the mentor hat to the admin hat, we had to coordinate the requests from each mentor to calculate the total number of slots we wanted Google to fund for Debian's mentors.</p>
<p>Once again, <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/Services/storm.debian.net">Debian's Sandstorm instance</a>, running Ethercalc, came to the rescue.</p>
<p>All mentors were granted access, reducing the effort for the admins and allowing a distributed, collective process of decision making. This ensured mentors could see that their slot requests were being counted correctly but it means far more than that too. Mentors put in a lot of effort to bring their projects to this stage and it is important for them to understand any contention for funding and make a group decision about which projects to prioritize if Google doesn't agree to fund all the slots.</p>
<a href="https://storm.debian.net"><img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/ethercalc_slots.png" width="640"/></a>
<h3>Management tools and processes</h3>
<p>Various topics were discussed by the team at the beginning of GSoC.</p>
<p>One discussion was about the definition of "team". Should the new delegation follow the existing pattern, reserving the word "team" for the admins, or should we move to the convention followed by the DebConf team, where the word "team" encompasses a broader group of the volunteers? A draft delegation text was prepared but we haven't asked for it to be ratified, this is a pending task for the 2019 team (more on that later).</p>
<p>There was <a href="https://lists.debian.org/debian-outreach/2018/04/msg00036.html">discussion</a> about the choice of project management tools, keeping with Debian's philosophy of only using entirely free tools. We compared various options, including Redmine with the Agile (Kanban) plugin, Kanboard (as used by DebConf team), and more <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/Services/storm.debian.net">Sandstorm-hosted possibilities</a>, such as Wekan and Scrumblr. Some people also suggested ideas for project management within their Git repository, for example, using <a href="https://orgmode.org/">Org-mode</a>. There was discussion about whether it would be desirable for admins to run an instance of one of these tools to manage our own workflow and whether it would be useful to have all students use the same tool to ease admin supervision and reporting. Personally, I don't think all students need to use the same tool as long as they use tools that provide public read-only URLs, or even better, a machine-readable API allowing admins to aggregate data about progress.</p>
<p>Admins set up a <a href="https://salsa.debian.org/debian-outreach">Git repository for admin and mentor files</a> on Debian's new GitLab instance, Salsa. We tried to put in place a process to synchronize the <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/Teams/Outreach/Mentors">mentor list on the wiki</a>, the list of users granted team access in Salsa and the list of mentors maintained in the GSoC portal. This could be taken further by asking mentors and students to put a Moin <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/HelpOnCategories">Category</a> tag on the bottom of their personal pages on the wiki, allowing indexes to be built automatically.</p>
<h3>Students accepted</h3>
<p>On 23 April, the list of selected students was confirmed. Shortly afterward, a Debian blog appeared <a href="https://bits.debian.org/2018/05/welcome-gsoc2018-and-outreachy-interns.html">welcoming the students</a>.</p>
<h3>OSCAL 2018, Albania and Kosovo visit</h3>
<p>I traveled to Tirana, Albania for <a href="https://danielpocock.com/oscal18-debian-ham-sdr">OSCAL'18</a> where I was joined by two of the Kosovan students selected by Debian. They helped run the Debian booth, comprising a demonstration of software defined radio from <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianHams">Debian Hams</a>.</p>
<p>Enkelena Haxhiu and I gave a talk together about communications technology. This was Enkelena's first talk. In the audience was Arjen Kamphuis, he was one of the last people to ask a question at the end. His recent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/sep/14/speculation-over-fate-of-missing-dutchman-linked-to-wikileaks">disappearance</a> is a disturbing mystery.</p>
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/OSCAL_2018_-_presentations_62.jpg"/>
<h3>DebConf18</h3>
<p>A GSoC session took place at DebConf18, <a href="https://debconf18.debconf.org/talks/125-gsoc-session/">the video is available here</a> and includes talks from GSoC and Outreachy participants past and present.</p>
<a href="https://debconf18.debconf.org/talks/125-gsoc-session/"><img width="540" src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/jaminy_debconf.png"/></a>
<h3>Final results</h3>
<p>Many of the students have already been added to <a href="https://planet.debian.org">Planet Debian</a> where they have blogged about what they did and what they learned in GSoC. More will appear in the near future.</p>
<p>If you like their project, if you have ideas for an event where they could present it or if you simply live in the same region, please feel free to contact the students directly and help them continue their free software adventure with us.</p>
<h3>Meeting more students</h3>
<p>Google's <a href="https://google.github.io/gsocguides/mentor/org-application#whats-on-the-application">application form</a> for organizations like Debian asks us what we do to stay in contact with students after GSoC. <a href="https://danielpocock.com/stelvio-mortirolo-simplon-tiramisu">Crossing multiple passes in the Swiss and Italian alps</a> to find <a href="https://sergioalberti.gitlab.io//gsoc/debian/2018/10/05/daniel-meet.html">Sergio Alberti at Capo di Lago</a> is probably one of the more exotic answers to that question.</p>
<h3>Looking back at past internships</h3>
<p>I first mentored students in GSoC 2013. Since then, I've been involved in mentoring a total of 12 students in GSoC and 3 interns in Outreachy as well as introducing many others to mentors and organizations. Several of them stay in touch and it's always interesting to hear about their successes as they progress in their careers and in their enjoyment of free software.</p>
<p>The Outreachy organizers have chosen a picture of two of my former interns, <a href="https://urvikagola.wordpress.com/">Urvika Gola (Outreachy 2016)</a> and <a href="https://github.com/pranavjain">Pranav Jain (GSoC 2016)</a> for the <a href="https://www.outreachy.org/mentor/">mentors page of their web site</a>. This is quite fitting as both of them have remained engaged and become involved in the mentoring process.</p>
<a href="https://www.outreachy.org/mentor/"><img src="https://www.outreachy.org/media/images/osb-2017-urvika-pranav.original.jpg" width="540"/></a>
<h3>Lessons from GSoC 2018, preparing for 2019</h3>
<p>One of the big challenges we faced this year is that as the new admin team was only coming together for the first time, we didn't have any policies in place before mentors and students started putting significant effort in to their proposals.</p>
<p>Potential mentors start to put in significant effort from February, when the list of participating organizations is usually announced by Google. Therefore, it seems like a good idea to make any policies clear to potential mentors before the end of January.</p>
<p>We faced a similar challenge with selecting mentors to attend the GSoC mentor summit. While some ideas were discussed about the design of a selection process or algorithm, the admins fell back on the previous policy based on a random selection as mentors may have anticipated that policy was still in force when they signed up.</p>
<p>As I mentioned already, there are several areas where GSoC and Outreachy are diverging, this already led to some unfortunate misunderstandings in both directions, for example, when people familiar with Outreachy rules have been unaware of GSoC differences and vice-versa and I'll confess to being one of several people who has been confused at least once. Mentors often focus on the projects and candidates and don't always notice the annual rule changes. Unfortunately, this requires involvement and patience from both the organizers and admins to guide the mentors through any differences at each step.</p>
<h3>The umbrella organization question</h3>
<p>One of the most contentious topics in Debian's GSoC 2018 program was the discussion of whether Debian can and should act as an umbrella organization for smaller projects who are unlikely to participate in GSoC in their own right.</p>
<p>As an example, in 2016, four students were mentored by Savoir Faire Linux (SFL), makers of the <a href="https://ring.cx">Ring project</a>, under the Debian umbrella. In 2017, Ring joined the GNU Project and they mentored students under the GNU Project umbrella organization. <a href="https://debconf17.debconf.org">DebConf17</a> coincidentally took place in Montreal, Canada, not far from the SFL headquarters and SFL participated as a platinum sponsor.</p>
<p>Google's Mentor Guide <a href="https://google.github.io/gsocguides/mentor/org-application">explicitly encourages organizations to consider this role, but does not oblige them to do so either</a>:</p>
<blockquote><em>Google’s program administrators actually look quite fondly on the umbrella organizations that participate each year.</em></blockquote>
<p>For an organization like Debian, with our philosophy, independence from the cloud and distinct set of tools, such as the <a href="https://salsa.debian.org">Salsa service</a> mentioned earlier, being an umbrella organization gives us an opportunity to share the philosophy and working methods for mutual benefit while also giving encouragement to related projects that we use.</p>
<p>Some people expressed concern that this may cut into resources for Debian-centric projects, but it appears that Google has not limited the number of additional places in the program for this purpose. This is one of the significant differences with Outreachy, where the number of places is limited by funding constraints.</p>
<p>Therefore, if funding is not a constraint, I feel that the most important factor to evaluate when considering this issue is the size and capacity of the admin team. Google allows up to five people to be enrolled as admins and if enough experienced people volunteer, it can be easier for everybody whereas with only two admins, the minimum, it may not be feasible to act as an umbrella organization.</p>
<p>Within the team, we observed various differences of opinion: for example some people were keen on the umbrella role while others preferred to restrict participation to Debian-centric projects. We have the same situation with Outreachy: some mentors and admins only want to do GSoC, while others only do Outreachy and there are others, like myself, who have supported both programs equally. In situations like this, nobody is right or wrong.</p>
<p>Once that fundamental constraint, the size of the admin team, is considered, I personally feel that any related projects engaged on this basis can be evaluated for a wide range of synergies with the Debian community, including the people, their philosophy, the tools used and the extent to which their project will benefit Debian's developers and users. In other words, this doesn't mean any random project can ask to participate under the Debian umbrella but those who make the right moves may have a chance of doing so.</p>
<h3>Financial</h3>
<p>Google pays each organization an allowance of USD 500 for each slot awarded to the organization, plus some additional funds related to travel. This generally corresponds to the number of quality candidates identified by the organization during the selection process, regardless of whether the candidate accepts an internship or not. Where more than one organization requests funding (a slot) for the same student, both organizations receive a bounty, we had at least one case like this in 2018.</p>
<p>For 2018, Debian has received USD 17,200 from Google.</p>
<h3>GSoC 2019 and beyond</h3>
<p>Personally, as I indicated in January that I would only be able to do this on a temporary basis, I'm not going to participate as an admin in 2019 so it is a good time for other members of the community to think about the role. Each organization who wants to participate needs to propose a full list of admins to Google in January 2019, therefore, now is the time for potential admins to step forward, decide how they would like to work together as a team and work out the way to recruit mentors and projects.</p>
<p>Thanks to all the other admins, mentors, the GSoC team at Google, the Outreachy organizers and members of the wider free software community who supported this initiative in 2018. I'd particularly like to thank all the students though, it is really exciting to work with people who are so open minded, patient and remain committed even when faced with unanticipated challenges and adversity.</p>One of my major contributions to Debian in 2018 has been participation as a mentor and admin for Debian in Google Summer of Code (GSoC). Here are a few observations about what happened this year, from my personal perspective in those roles. Making a full report of everything that happens in GSoC is close to impossible. Here I consider issues that span multiple projects and the mentoring team. For details on individual projects completed by the students, please see their final reports posted in August on the mailing list. Thanking our outgoing administrators Nicolas Dandrimont and Sylvestre Ledru retired from the admin role after GSoC 2016 and Tom Marble has retired from the Outreachy administration role, we should be enormously grateful for the effort they have put in as these are very demanding roles. When the last remaining member of the admin team, Molly, asked for people to step in for 2018, knowing the huge effort involved, I offered to help out on a very temporary basis. We drafted a new delegation but didn't seek to have it ratified until the team evolves. We started 2018 with Molly, Jaminy, Alex and myself. The role needs at least one new volunteer with strong mentoring experience for 2019. Project ideas Google encourages organizations to put project ideas up for discussion and also encourages students to spontaneously propose their own ideas. This latter concept is a significant difference between GSoC and Outreachy that has caused unintended confusion for some mentors in the past. I have frequently put teasers on my blog, without full specifications, to see how students would try to respond. Some mentors are much more precise, telling students exactly what needs to be delivered and how to go about it. Both approaches are valid early in the program. Student inquiries Students start sending inquiries to some mentors well before GSoC starts. When Google publishes the list of organizations to participate (that was on 12 February this year), the number of inquiries increases dramatically, in the form of personal emails to the mentors, inquiries on the debian-outreach mailing list, the IRC channel and many project-specific mailing lists and IRC channels. Over 300 students contacted me personally or through the mailing list during the application phase (between 12 February and 27 March). This is a huge number and makes it impossible to engage in a dialogue with every student. In the last years where I have mentored, 2016 and 2018, I've personally put a bigger effort into engaging other mentors during this phase and introducing them to some of the students who already made a good first impression. As an example, Jacob Adams first inquired about my PKI/PGP Clean Room idea back in January. I was really excited about his proposals but I knew I simply didn't have the time to mentor him personally, so I added his blog to Planet Debian and suggested he put out a call for help. One mentor, Daniele Nicolodi replied to that and I also introduced him to Thomas Levine. They both generously volunteered and together with Jacob, ensured a successful project. While I originally started the clean room, they deserve all the credit for the enhancements in 2018 and this emphasizes the importance of those introductions made during the early stages of GSoC. In fact, there were half a dozen similar cases this year where I have interacted with a really promising student and referred them to the mentor(s) who appeared optimal for their profile. After my recent travels in the Balkans, a number of people from Albania and Kosovo expressed an interest in GSoC and Outreachy. The students from Kosovo found that their country was not listed in the application form but the Google team very promptly added it, allowing them to apply for GSoC for the first time. Kosovo still can't participate in the Olympics or the World Cup, but they can compete in GSoC now. At this stage, I was still uncertain if I would mentor any project myself in 2018 or only help with the admin role, which I had only agreed to do on a very temporary basis until the team evolves. Nonetheless, the day before student applications formally opened (12 March) and after looking at the interest areas of students who had already made contact, I decided to go ahead mentoring a single project, the wizard for new students and contributors. Student selections The application deadline closed on 27 March. At this time, Debian had 102 applications, an increase over the 75 applications from 2016. Five applicants were female, including three from Kosovo. One challenge we've started to see is that since Google reduced the stipend for GSoC, Outreachy appears to pay more in many countries. Some women put more effort into an Outreachy application or don't apply for GSoC at all, even though there are far more places available in GSoC each year. GSoC typically takes over 1,000 interns in each round while Outreachy can only accept approximately 50. Applicants are not evenly distributed across all projects. Some mentors/projects only receive one applicant and then mentors simply have to decide if they will accept the applicant or cancel the project. Other mentors receive ten or more complete applications and have to spend time studying them, comparing them and deciding on the best way to rank them and make a decision. Given the large number of project ideas in Debian, we found that the Google portal didn't allow us to use enough category names to distinguish them all. We contacted the Google team about this and they very quickly increased the number of categories we could use, this made it much easier to tag the large number of applications so that each mentor could filter the list and only see their own applicants. The project I mentored personally, a wizard for helping new students get started, attracted interest from 3 other co-mentors and 10 student applications. To help us compare the applications and share data we gathered from the students, we set up a shared spreadsheet using Debian's Sandstorm instance and Ethercalc. Thanks to Asheesh and Laura for setting up and maintaining this great service. Slot requests Switching from the mentor hat to the admin hat, we had to coordinate the requests from each mentor to calculate the total number of slots we wanted Google to fund for Debian's mentors. Once again, Debian's Sandstorm instance, running Ethercalc, came to the rescue. All mentors were granted access, reducing the effort for the admins and allowing a distributed, collective process of decision making. This ensured mentors could see that their slot requests were being counted correctly but it means far more than that too. Mentors put in a lot of effort to bring their projects to this stage and it is important for them to understand any contention for funding and make a group decision about which projects to prioritize if Google doesn't agree to fund all the slots. Management tools and processes Various topics were discussed by the team at the beginning of GSoC. One discussion was about the definition of "team". Should the new delegation follow the existing pattern, reserving the word "team" for the admins, or should we move to the convention followed by the DebConf team, where the word "team" encompasses a broader group of the volunteers? A draft delegation text was prepared but we haven't asked for it to be ratified, this is a pending task for the 2019 team (more on that later). There was discussion about the choice of project management tools, keeping with Debian's philosophy of only using entirely free tools. We compared various options, including Redmine with the Agile (Kanban) plugin, Kanboard (as used by DebConf team), and more Sandstorm-hosted possibilities, such as Wekan and Scrumblr. Some people also suggested ideas for project management within their Git repository, for example, using Org-mode. There was discussion about whether it would be desirable for admins to run an instance of one of these tools to manage our own workflow and whether it would be useful to have all students use the same tool to ease admin supervision and reporting. Personally, I don't think all students need to use the same tool as long as they use tools that provide public read-only URLs, or even better, a machine-readable API allowing admins to aggregate data about progress. Admins set up a Git repository for admin and mentor files on Debian's new GitLab instance, Salsa. We tried to put in place a process to synchronize the mentor list on the wiki, the list of users granted team access in Salsa and the list of mentors maintained in the GSoC portal. This could be taken further by asking mentors and students to put a Moin Category tag on the bottom of their personal pages on the wiki, allowing indexes to be built automatically. Students accepted On 23 April, the list of selected students was confirmed. Shortly afterward, a Debian blog appeared welcoming the students. OSCAL 2018, Albania and Kosovo visit I traveled to Tirana, Albania for OSCAL'18 where I was joined by two of the Kosovan students selected by Debian. They helped run the Debian booth, comprising a demonstration of software defined radio from Debian Hams. Enkelena Haxhiu and I gave a talk together about communications technology. This was Enkelena's first talk. In the audience was Arjen Kamphuis, he was one of the last people to ask a question at the end. His recent disappearance is a disturbing mystery. DebConf18 A GSoC session took place at DebConf18, the video is available here and includes talks from GSoC and Outreachy participants past and present. Final results Many of the students have already been added to Planet Debian where they have blogged about what they did and what they learned in GSoC. More will appear in the near future. If you like their project, if you have ideas for an event where they could present it or if you simply live in the same region, please feel free to contact the students directly and help them continue their free software adventure with us. Meeting more students Google's application form for organizations like Debian asks us what we do to stay in contact with students after GSoC. Crossing multiple passes in the Swiss and Italian alps to find Sergio Alberti at Capo di Lago is probably one of the more exotic answers to that question. Looking back at past internships I first mentored students in GSoC 2013. Since then, I've been involved in mentoring a total of 12 students in GSoC and 3 interns in Outreachy as well as introducing many others to mentors and organizations. Several of them stay in touch and it's always interesting to hear about their successes as they progress in their careers and in their enjoyment of free software. The Outreachy organizers have chosen a picture of two of my former interns, Urvika Gola (Outreachy 2016) and Pranav Jain (GSoC 2016) for the mentors page of their web site. This is quite fitting as both of them have remained engaged and become involved in the mentoring process. Lessons from GSoC 2018, preparing for 2019 One of the big challenges we faced this year is that as the new admin team was only coming together for the first time, we didn't have any policies in place before mentors and students started putting significant effort in to their proposals. Potential mentors start to put in significant effort from February, when the list of participating organizations is usually announced by Google. Therefore, it seems like a good idea to make any policies clear to potential mentors before the end of January. We faced a similar challenge with selecting mentors to attend the GSoC mentor summit. While some ideas were discussed about the design of a selection process or algorithm, the admins fell back on the previous policy based on a random selection as mentors may have anticipated that policy was still in force when they signed up. As I mentioned already, there are several areas where GSoC and Outreachy are diverging, this already led to some unfortunate misunderstandings in both directions, for example, when people familiar with Outreachy rules have been unaware of GSoC differences and vice-versa and I'll confess to being one of several people who has been confused at least once. Mentors often focus on the projects and candidates and don't always notice the annual rule changes. Unfortunately, this requires involvement and patience from both the organizers and admins to guide the mentors through any differences at each step. The umbrella organization question One of the most contentious topics in Debian's GSoC 2018 program was the discussion of whether Debian can and should act as an umbrella organization for smaller projects who are unlikely to participate in GSoC in their own right. As an example, in 2016, four students were mentored by Savoir Faire Linux (SFL), makers of the Ring project, under the Debian umbrella. In 2017, Ring joined the GNU Project and they mentored students under the GNU Project umbrella organization. DebConf17 coincidentally took place in Montreal, Canada, not far from the SFL headquarters and SFL participated as a platinum sponsor. Google's Mentor Guide explicitly encourages organizations to consider this role, but does not oblige them to do so either: Google’s program administrators actually look quite fondly on the umbrella organizations that participate each year. For an organization like Debian, with our philosophy, independence from the cloud and distinct set of tools, such as the Salsa service mentioned earlier, being an umbrella organization gives us an opportunity to share the philosophy and working methods for mutual benefit while also giving encouragement to related projects that we use. Some people expressed concern that this may cut into resources for Debian-centric projects, but it appears that Google has not limited the number of additional places in the program for this purpose. This is one of the significant differences with Outreachy, where the number of places is limited by funding constraints. Therefore, if funding is not a constraint, I feel that the most important factor to evaluate when considering this issue is the size and capacity of the admin team. Google allows up to five people to be enrolled as admins and if enough experienced people volunteer, it can be easier for everybody whereas with only two admins, the minimum, it may not be feasible to act as an umbrella organization. Within the team, we observed various differences of opinion: for example some people were keen on the umbrella role while others preferred to restrict participation to Debian-centric projects. We have the same situation with Outreachy: some mentors and admins only want to do GSoC, while others only do Outreachy and there are others, like myself, who have supported both programs equally. In situations like this, nobody is right or wrong. Once that fundamental constraint, the size of the admin team, is considered, I personally feel that any related projects engaged on this basis can be evaluated for a wide range of synergies with the Debian community, including the people, their philosophy, the tools used and the extent to which their project will benefit Debian's developers and users. In other words, this doesn't mean any random project can ask to participate under the Debian umbrella but those who make the right moves may have a chance of doing so. Financial Google pays each organization an allowance of USD 500 for each slot awarded to the organization, plus some additional funds related to travel. This generally corresponds to the number of quality candidates identified by the organization during the selection process, regardless of whether the candidate accepts an internship or not. Where more than one organization requests funding (a slot) for the same student, both organizations receive a bounty, we had at least one case like this in 2018. For 2018, Debian has received USD 17,200 from Google. GSoC 2019 and beyond Personally, as I indicated in January that I would only be able to do this on a temporary basis, I'm not going to participate as an admin in 2019 so it is a good time for other members of the community to think about the role. Each organization who wants to participate needs to propose a full list of admins to Google in January 2019, therefore, now is the time for potential admins to step forward, decide how they would like to work together as a team and work out the way to recruit mentors and projects. Thanks to all the other admins, mentors, the GSoC team at Google, the Outreachy organizers and members of the wider free software community who supported this initiative in 2018. I'd particularly like to thank all the students though, it is really exciting to work with people who are so open minded, patient and remain committed even when faced with unanticipated challenges and adversity.Free software, GSoC and ham radio in Kosovo2018-06-04T10:06:28+02:002018-06-04T10:06:28+02:00https://danielpocock.com/free-software-ham-radio-gsoc-in-kosovo-2018-05<p>After the <a href="https://danielpocock.com/oscal18-debian-ham-sdr">excitement of OSCAL in Tirana</a>, I travelled up to Prishtina, Kosovo, with some of Debian's new <a href="https://danielpocock.com/tags/gsoc">GSoC</a> students. We don't always have so many students participating in the same location. Being able to meet with all of them for a coffee each morning gave some interesting insights into the challenges people face in these projects and things that communities can do to help new contributors.</p>
<p>On the evening of 23 May, I attended a meeting at the <a href="http://www.prishtinahackerspace.org/">Prishtina hackerspace</a> where a wide range of topics, including future events, were discussed. There are many people who would like to repeat the successful <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEvents/ks/2017/MiniDebConfPrishtina">Mini DebConf and Fedora Women's Day events from 2017</a>. A <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEvents/ks/2018/MiniDebConfPrishtina">wiki page has been created for planning</a> but no date has been confirmed yet.</p>
<p>On the following evening, 24 May, we had a joint meeting with <a href="http://www.shrak.org/en/">SHRAK</a>, the ham radio society of Kosovo, at the hackerspace. Acting director Vjollca Caka gave an introduction to the state of ham radio in the country and then we set up a joint demonstration using the equipment I brought for OSCAL.</p>
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/shrak_meeting.jpg"/>
<p>On my final night in Prishtina, we had a small gathering for dinner: Debian's three GSoC students, Elena, Enkelena and Diellza, <a href="https://renatagegaj.wordpress.com/">Renata Gegaj</a>, who completed <a href="https://danielpocock.com/tags/outreachy">Outreachy</a> with the GNOME community and Qendresa Hoti, one of the organizers of last year's very successful <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianEvents/ks/2017/CoderGalsHackathonForGirlsPrizren">hackathon for women in Prizren</a>.</p>
<h3>Promoting free software at Doku:tech, Prishtina, 9-10 June 2018</h3>
<p>One of the largest technology events in Kosovo, <a href="http://doku.tech/">Doku:tech</a>, will take place on 9-10 June. It is not too late for people from other free software communities to get involved, please <a href="https://lists.flossk.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/general">contact the FLOSSK</a> or <a href="https://forum.openlabs.cc/t/dokutech-a-tech-conference-in-the-heart-of-the-balkans/1168">Open Labs</a> communities in the region if you have questions about how you can participate. A number of budget airlines, including WizzAir and Easyjet, now have <a href="http://www.airportpristina.com/destinations">regular flights to Kosovo</a> and many larger free software organizations will consider requests for a travel grant.</p>After the excitement of OSCAL in Tirana, I travelled up to Prishtina, Kosovo, with some of Debian's new GSoC students. We don't always have so many students participating in the same location. Being able to meet with all of them for a coffee each morning gave some interesting insights into the challenges people face in these projects and things that communities can do to help new contributors. On the evening of 23 May, I attended a meeting at the Prishtina hackerspace where a wide range of topics, including future events, were discussed. There are many people who would like to repeat the successful Mini DebConf and Fedora Women's Day events from 2017. A wiki page has been created for planning but no date has been confirmed yet. On the following evening, 24 May, we had a joint meeting with SHRAK, the ham radio society of Kosovo, at the hackerspace. Acting director Vjollca Caka gave an introduction to the state of ham radio in the country and then we set up a joint demonstration using the equipment I brought for OSCAL. On my final night in Prishtina, we had a small gathering for dinner: Debian's three GSoC students, Elena, Enkelena and Diellza, Renata Gegaj, who completed Outreachy with the GNOME community and Qendresa Hoti, one of the organizers of last year's very successful hackathon for women in Prizren. Promoting free software at Doku:tech, Prishtina, 9-10 June 2018 One of the largest technology events in Kosovo, Doku:tech, will take place on 9-10 June. It is not too late for people from other free software communities to get involved, please contact the FLOSSK or Open Labs communities in the region if you have questions about how you can participate. A number of budget airlines, including WizzAir and Easyjet, now have regular flights to Kosovo and many larger free software organizations will consider requests for a travel grant.Can a GSoC project beat Cambridge Analytica at their own game?2018-03-20T13:15:22+01:002018-03-20T13:15:22+01:00https://danielpocock.com/gsoc-project-beating-cambridge-analytica-at-their-own-game<p>A few weeks ago, I proposed a <a href="https://danielpocock.com/tags/gsoc">GSoC</a> project on the topic of <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/SummerOfCode2018/Projects">Firefox and Thunderbird plugins for Free Software Habits</a>.</p>
<p>At first glance, this topic may seem innocent and mundane. After all, we all know what habits are, don't we? There are already plugins that help people avoid visiting Facebook too many times in one day, what difference will another one make?</p>
<p>Yet the success of companies like Facebook and those that prey on their users, like Cambridge Analytica (who are facing the prospect of a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/20/officials-seek-warrant-to-enter-cambridge-analytica-hq">search warrant</a> today), is down to habits: in other words, the things that users do over and over again <em>without consciously thinking about it</em>. That is exactly why this plugin is relevant.</p>
<p>Many students have expressed interest and I'm keen to find out if any other people may want to act as co-mentors (<a href="https://danielpocock.com/mentors-dont-need-to-be-debian-developers">more information</a> or <a href="https://danielpocock.com/contact">email me</a>).</p>
<p>One Facebook whistleblower recently spoke about his abhorrence of the <a href=" https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/dec/11/facebook-former-executive-ripping-society-apart">dopamine-driven feedback loops</a> that keep users under a spell.</p>
<h3>The game changer</h3>
<p>Can we use the transparency of free software to help users re-wire those feedback loops for the benefit of themselves and society at large? In other words, instead of letting their minds be hacked by Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, can we give users the power to hack themselves?</p>
<p>In his book <a href="http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/">The Power of Habit</a>, Charles Duhigg lays bare the psychology and neuroscience behind habits. While reading the book, I frequently came across concepts that appeared immediately relevant to the habits of software engineers and also the field of computer security, even though neither of these topics is discussed in the book.</p>
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/Slide112-e1320805251729.jpg" alt="where is my cookie?"/>
<p>Most significantly, Duhigg finishes with an appendix on how to identify and re-wire your habits and he has <a href="http://charlesduhigg.com/how-habits-work/">made it available online</a>. In other words, a quickstart guide to hack yourself: could Duhigg's formula help the proposed plugin succeed where others have failed?</p>
<h3>If you could change one habit, you could change your life</h3>
<p>The book starts with examples of people who changed a single habit and completely reinvented themselves. For example, an overweight alcoholic and smoker who became a super-fit marathon runner. In each case, they show how the person changed a single keystone habit and everything else fell into place. Wouldn't you like to have that power in your own life?</p>
<p>Wouldn't it be even better to share that opportunity with your friends and family?</p>
<p>One of the challenges we face in developing and promoting free software is that every day, with every new cloud service, the average person in the street, including our friends, families and co-workers, is ingesting habits carefully engineered for the benefit of somebody else. Do you feel that asking your friends and co-workers not to engage you in these services has become a game of whack-a-mole?</p>
<p>Providing a simple and concise solution, such as a plugin, can help people to find their keystone habits and then help them change them without stress or criticism. Many people want to do the right thing: if it can be made easier for them, with the right messages, at the right time, delivered in a positive manner, people feel good about taking back control. For example, if somebody has spent 15 minutes creating a Doodle poll and sending the link to 50 people, is there any easy way to communicate your concerns about Doodle? If a plugin could highlight an alternative <em>before</em> they invest their time in Doodle, won't they feel better?</p>
<p>If you would like to provide feedback or even help this project go ahead, <a href="https://lists.debian.org/debian-outreach">you can subscribe here</a> and <a href="mailto:debian-outreach@lists.debian.org?in-reply-to=%3C3a9585b2-341c-ae2e-763e-d6b5693e8b2e%40pocock.pro%3E&Subject=Re%3A%20GSoC%202018%3A%20Firefox%20plugins%20for%20free%20software%20habits">post feedback to the thread</a> or just <a href="https://danielpocock.com/contact">email me</a>.</p>
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/cat-whack-a-mole.jpg" alt="cat plays whack-a-mole"/>A few weeks ago, I proposed a GSoC project on the topic of Firefox and Thunderbird plugins for Free Software Habits. At first glance, this topic may seem innocent and mundane. After all, we all know what habits are, don't we? There are already plugins that help people avoid visiting Facebook too many times in one day, what difference will another one make? Yet the success of companies like Facebook and those that prey on their users, like Cambridge Analytica (who are facing the prospect of a search warrant today), is down to habits: in other words, the things that users do over and over again without consciously thinking about it. That is exactly why this plugin is relevant. Many students have expressed interest and I'm keen to find out if any other people may want to act as co-mentors (more information or email me). One Facebook whistleblower recently spoke about his abhorrence of the dopamine-driven feedback loops that keep users under a spell. The game changer Can we use the transparency of free software to help users re-wire those feedback loops for the benefit of themselves and society at large? In other words, instead of letting their minds be hacked by Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, can we give users the power to hack themselves? In his book The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg lays bare the psychology and neuroscience behind habits. While reading the book, I frequently came across concepts that appeared immediately relevant to the habits of software engineers and also the field of computer security, even though neither of these topics is discussed in the book. Most significantly, Duhigg finishes with an appendix on how to identify and re-wire your habits and he has made it available online. In other words, a quickstart guide to hack yourself: could Duhigg's formula help the proposed plugin succeed where others have failed? If you could change one habit, you could change your life The book starts with examples of people who changed a single habit and completely reinvented themselves. For example, an overweight alcoholic and smoker who became a super-fit marathon runner. In each case, they show how the person changed a single keystone habit and everything else fell into place. Wouldn't you like to have that power in your own life? Wouldn't it be even better to share that opportunity with your friends and family? One of the challenges we face in developing and promoting free software is that every day, with every new cloud service, the average person in the street, including our friends, families and co-workers, is ingesting habits carefully engineered for the benefit of somebody else. Do you feel that asking your friends and co-workers not to engage you in these services has become a game of whack-a-mole? Providing a simple and concise solution, such as a plugin, can help people to find their keystone habits and then help them change them without stress or criticism. Many people want to do the right thing: if it can be made easier for them, with the right messages, at the right time, delivered in a positive manner, people feel good about taking back control. For example, if somebody has spent 15 minutes creating a Doodle poll and sending the link to 50 people, is there any easy way to communicate your concerns about Doodle? If a plugin could highlight an alternative before they invest their time in Doodle, won't they feel better? If you would like to provide feedback or even help this project go ahead, you can subscribe here and post feedback to the thread or just email me.GSoC and Outreachy: Mentors don’t need to be Debian Developers2018-03-19T09:10:06+01:002018-03-19T09:10:06+01:00https://danielpocock.com/mentors-dont-need-to-be-debian-developers<p>A frequent response I receive when talking to prospective mentors: "I'm not a Debian Developer yet".</p>
<p>As student applications have started coming in, now is the time for any prospective mentors to <a href="https://lists.debian.org/debian-outreach">introduce yourself on the debian-outreach list</a> if you would like to help with any of the <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/SummerOfCode2018/Projects">listed projects</a> or any topics that have been proposed spontaneously by students without any mentor.</p>
<p>It doesn't matter if you are a Debian Developer or not. Furthermore, mentoring in a program like <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/Teams/Outreach">GSoC or Outreachy</a> is a form of volunteering that is recognized just as highly as packaging or any other development activity.</p>
<p>When an existing developer writes an email <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianDeveloper#Advocating_a_Debian_Project_Member">advocating your application</a> to become a developer yourself, they can refer to your contribution as a mentor</a>. Many other processes, such as requests for <a href="https://debconf.org">DebConf bursaries</a>, also ask for a list of your contributions and you can mention your mentoring experience there.</p>
<p>With the student deadline on 27 March, it is really important to understand the capacity of the mentoring team over the next 10 days so we can decide how many projects can realistically be supported. Please ask on <a href="https://lists.debian.org/debian-outreach">the debian-outreach list</a> if you have any questions about getting involved.</p>A frequent response I receive when talking to prospective mentors: "I'm not a Debian Developer yet". As student applications have started coming in, now is the time for any prospective mentors to introduce yourself on the debian-outreach list if you would like to help with any of the listed projects or any topics that have been proposed spontaneously by students without any mentor. It doesn't matter if you are a Debian Developer or not. Furthermore, mentoring in a program like GSoC or Outreachy is a form of volunteering that is recognized just as highly as packaging or any other development activity. When an existing developer writes an email advocating your application to become a developer yourself, they can refer to your contribution as a mentor. Many other processes, such as requests for DebConf bursaries, also ask for a list of your contributions and you can mention your mentoring experience there. With the student deadline on 27 March, it is really important to understand the capacity of the mentoring team over the next 10 days so we can decide how many projects can realistically be supported. Please ask on the debian-outreach list if you have any questions about getting involved.Fair communication requires mutual consent2018-01-30T21:33:41+01:002018-01-30T21:33:41+01:00https://danielpocock.com/fair-communication-requires-mutual-consent<p>I was pleased to read <a href="https://flossexperiences.wordpress.com/2018/01/30/webmail-and-whole-class-of-problems/">Shirish Agarwal's blog</a> in reply to the blog I posted last week <a href="https://danielpocock.com/do-the-little-things-matter-gmail"><em>Do the little things matter?</em></a></p>
<p>Given the militaristic theme used in my own post, I was also somewhat amused to see news this week of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/29/strava-secret-army-base-locations-heatmap-public-users-military-ban">Strava app leaking locations and layouts of secret US military facilities like Area 51</a>. What a way to mark <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Privacy_Day">International Data Privacy Day</a>. Maybe rather than inadvertently misleading people to wonder if I was suggesting that Gmail users don't make their beds, I should have emphasized that Admiral McRaven's boot camp regime for Navy SEALS needs to incorporate some of my suggestions about data privacy?</p>
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/secret-base.png" alt="Strava leaks layouts and locations of secret US bases like Area 51"/>
<p>A highlight of Agarwal's blog is his comment <em>I usually wait for a day or more when I feel myself getting inflamed/heated</em> and I wish this had occurred in some of the other places where my ideas were discussed. Even though my ideas are sometimes provocative, I would kindly ask people to keep point 2 of the <a href="https://www.debian.org/code_of_conduct">Debian Code of Conduct</a> in mind, <em>Assume good faith</em>.</p>
<p>One thing that became clear to me after reading Agarwal's blog is that some people saw my example one-line change to Postfix's configuration as a suggestion that people need to run their own mail server. In fact, I had seen such comments before but I hadn't realized why people were reaching a conclusion that I expect everybody to run a mail server. The purpose of that line was simply to emphasize the content of the proposed bounce message, to help people understand, the receiver of an email may never have agreed to Google's non-privacy policy but if you do use Gmail, you impose that surveillance regime on <em>them</em>, and not just yourself, if you send them a message from a Gmail account.</p>
<p>Communication requires <em>mutual</em> agreement about the medium. Think about it another way: if you go to a meeting with your doctor and some stranger in a foreign military uniform is in the room, you might choose to leave and find another doctor rather than communicate under surveillance.</p>
<a href="https://protonmail.ch"><img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/protonmail-logo.png" align="right" width="160"/></a><p>As it turns out, many people are using alternative email services, even if they only want a web interface. There is already a feature request discussion in <a href="https://protonmail.ch">ProtonMail</a> about <a href="https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/284483-feedback/suggestions/14784582-selective-bounce-feature-for-privacy">letting users choose to opt-out of receiving messages monitored by Google and send back the bounce message suggested in my blog</a>. Would you like to have that choice, even if you didn't use it immediately? You can <a href="https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/284483-feedback/suggestions/14784582-selective-bounce-feature-for-privacy">vote</a> for that issue or leave your own feedback comments in there too.</p>I was pleased to read Shirish Agarwal's blog in reply to the blog I posted last week Do the little things matter? Given the militaristic theme used in my own post, I was also somewhat amused to see news this week of the Strava app leaking locations and layouts of secret US military facilities like Area 51. What a way to mark International Data Privacy Day. Maybe rather than inadvertently misleading people to wonder if I was suggesting that Gmail users don't make their beds, I should have emphasized that Admiral McRaven's boot camp regime for Navy SEALS needs to incorporate some of my suggestions about data privacy? A highlight of Agarwal's blog is his comment I usually wait for a day or more when I feel myself getting inflamed/heated and I wish this had occurred in some of the other places where my ideas were discussed. Even though my ideas are sometimes provocative, I would kindly ask people to keep point 2 of the Debian Code of Conduct in mind, Assume good faith. One thing that became clear to me after reading Agarwal's blog is that some people saw my example one-line change to Postfix's configuration as a suggestion that people need to run their own mail server. In fact, I had seen such comments before but I hadn't realized why people were reaching a conclusion that I expect everybody to run a mail server. The purpose of that line was simply to emphasize the content of the proposed bounce message, to help people understand, the receiver of an email may never have agreed to Google's non-privacy policy but if you do use Gmail, you impose that surveillance regime on them, and not just yourself, if you send them a message from a Gmail account. Communication requires mutual agreement about the medium. Think about it another way: if you go to a meeting with your doctor and some stranger in a foreign military uniform is in the room, you might choose to leave and find another doctor rather than communicate under surveillance. As it turns out, many people are using alternative email services, even if they only want a web interface. There is already a feature request discussion in ProtonMail about letting users choose to opt-out of receiving messages monitored by Google and send back the bounce message suggested in my blog. Would you like to have that choice, even if you didn't use it immediately? You can vote for that issue or leave your own feedback comments in there too.Imagine the world’s biggest Kanban / Scrumboard2018-01-30T19:52:55+01:002018-01-30T19:52:55+01:00https://danielpocock.com/worlds-largest-kanban-board-with-free-software-communities<p>Imagine a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanban_board">Kanban board</a> that could aggregate issues from multiple backends, including your CalDAV task list, Bugzilla systems (Fedora, Mozilla, GNOME communities), Github issue lists and the <a href="https://bugs.debian.org">Debian Bug Tracking System</a>, visualize them together and coordinate your upstream fixes and packaging fixes in a single sprint.</p>
<p>It is not so farfetched - all of those systems already provide read access <a href="https://danielpocock.com/github-issues-as-an-icalendar-feed">using iCalendar URLs as described in my earlier blog</a>. There are REST APIs to manipulate most of them too. Why not write a front end to poll them and merge the content into a Kanban board view?</p>
<p>We've added this as a <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/SummerOfCode2018/Projects">potential GSoC project</a> using Python and PyQt.</p>
<p>If you'd like to see this or any of the other proposed projects go ahead, you don't need to be a Debian Developer to suggest ideas, refer a student or be a co-mentor. Many of our projects have relevance in multiple communities. Feel free to get in touch with us through the <a href="https://lists.debian.org/debian-outreach">debian-outreach mailing list</a>.</p>
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/biggest_kanban.jpg"/>Imagine a Kanban board that could aggregate issues from multiple backends, including your CalDAV task list, Bugzilla systems (Fedora, Mozilla, GNOME communities), Github issue lists and the Debian Bug Tracking System, visualize them together and coordinate your upstream fixes and packaging fixes in a single sprint. It is not so farfetched - all of those systems already provide read access using iCalendar URLs as described in my earlier blog. There are REST APIs to manipulate most of them too. Why not write a front end to poll them and merge the content into a Kanban board view? We've added this as a potential GSoC project using Python and PyQt. If you'd like to see this or any of the other proposed projects go ahead, you don't need to be a Debian Developer to suggest ideas, refer a student or be a co-mentor. Many of our projects have relevance in multiple communities. Feel free to get in touch with us through the debian-outreach mailing list.Let’s talk about Hacking (EPFL, Lausanne, 20 February 2018)2018-01-28T22:54:07+01:002018-01-28T22:54:07+01:00https://danielpocock.com/talking-about-hacking-toastmasters-epfl-2018-02-20<p>I've been very fortunate to have the support from several <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a> organizations to travel to events around the world and share what I do with other people. It's an important mission in a world where technology is having an increasing impact on our lives. With that in mind, I'm always looking for ways to improve my presentations and my presentation skills. As part of mentoring programs like <a href="https://danielpocock.com/tags/gsoc">GSoC</a> and <a href="https://danielpocock.com/tags/outreachy">Outreachy</a>, I'm also looking for ways to help newcomers in our industry to maximize their skills in communicating about the great work they do when they attend their first event.</p>
<p>With that in mind, one of the initiatives I've taken this year is participating in the <a href="https://www.toastmasters.org">Toastmasters organization</a>. I've attended several meetings of the Toastmasters group at EPFL and on 20 February 2018, I'll give my first talk there on the subject of <a href="https://tmclub.eu/view_agenda.php?t=96725">Hacking</a>.</p>
<p>If you live in the area, please come along. Entrance is free, there is plenty of parking available in the evening and it is close to the metro too. Please try to arrive early so as not to disrupt the first speaker. <a href="https://plan.epfl.ch/?room=BC410">Location map</a>, <a href="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/toastmasters-epfl.ics">Add to your calendar</a>.</p>
<img width="180" src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/toastmasterslogo2x.png" align="right"/><p>The Toastmasters system encourages participants to deliver a <a href="http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/toastmasters-speech-0-competent-communicator/">series of ten short (5-7 minute) speeches</a>, practicing a new skill each time.</p>
<p>The first of these, the <a href="https://www.toastmasters.org/~/media/9C6BB265EB73487798BB60EA2468A8B5.ashx">The Ice Breaker</a>, encourages speakers to begin using their existing skills and experience. When I read that in the guide, I couldn't help wondering if that is a cue to unleash some gadget on the audience.</p>
<p>Every group provides a system for positive feedback, support and mentoring for speakers at every level. It is really wonderful to see the impact that this positive environment has for everybody. At the EPFL meetings, I've met a range of people, some with far more speaking experience than me but most of them are working their way through the first ten speeches.</p>
<p>One of the longest running threads on the FSFE discussion list in 2017 saw several people arguing that it is impossible to share ideas <a href="https://lists.fsfe.org/pipermail/discussion/2017-June/011591.html">without social media</a>. If you have an important topic you want to share with the world, could public speaking be one way to go about it and does this possibility refute the argument that we "need" social media to share ideas? Is it more valuable to learn how to engage with a small audience for five minutes than to have an audience of hundreds on Twitter who scrolls past you in half a second as they search for cat photos? If you are not in Lausanne, you can easily <a href="https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club">find a Toastmasters club near you</a> anywhere in the world.</p>
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/mini-debconf-cambridge-sdr.png"/>I've been very fortunate to have the support from several free software organizations to travel to events around the world and share what I do with other people. It's an important mission in a world where technology is having an increasing impact on our lives. With that in mind, I'm always looking for ways to improve my presentations and my presentation skills. As part of mentoring programs like GSoC and Outreachy, I'm also looking for ways to help newcomers in our industry to maximize their skills in communicating about the great work they do when they attend their first event. With that in mind, one of the initiatives I've taken this year is participating in the Toastmasters organization. I've attended several meetings of the Toastmasters group at EPFL and on 20 February 2018, I'll give my first talk there on the subject of Hacking. If you live in the area, please come along. Entrance is free, there is plenty of parking available in the evening and it is close to the metro too. Please try to arrive early so as not to disrupt the first speaker. Location map, Add to your calendar. The Toastmasters system encourages participants to deliver a series of ten short (5-7 minute) speeches, practicing a new skill each time. The first of these, the The Ice Breaker, encourages speakers to begin using their existing skills and experience. When I read that in the guide, I couldn't help wondering if that is a cue to unleash some gadget on the audience. Every group provides a system for positive feedback, support and mentoring for speakers at every level. It is really wonderful to see the impact that this positive environment has for everybody. At the EPFL meetings, I've met a range of people, some with far more speaking experience than me but most of them are working their way through the first ten speeches. One of the longest running threads on the FSFE discussion list in 2017 saw several people arguing that it is impossible to share ideas without social media. If you have an important topic you want to share with the world, could public speaking be one way to go about it and does this possibility refute the argument that we "need" social media to share ideas? Is it more valuable to learn how to engage with a small audience for five minutes than to have an audience of hundreds on Twitter who scrolls past you in half a second as they search for cat photos? If you are not in Lausanne, you can easily find a Toastmasters club near you anywhere in the world.Do the little things matter?2018-01-25T21:44:31+01:002018-01-25T21:44:31+01:00https://danielpocock.com/do-the-little-things-matter-gmail<p>In a widely shared video, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jflUvxQLkgs">US Admiral McRaven addressing University of Texas at Austin's Class of 2014</a> chooses to deliver a simple message: <em>make your bed every day</em>.</p>
<p>A highlight of this talk is the quote <em>The little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you'll never be able to do the big things right</em>.</p>
<p>In the world of free software engineering, we have lofty goals: the FSF's <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects">High Priority Project list</a> identifies goals like private real-time communication, security and diversity in our communities. Those deploying free software in industry have equally high ambitions, ranging from self-driving cars to beating the stock market.</p>
<p>Yet over and over again, we can see people taking little shortcuts and compromises. If Admiral McRaven is right, our failure to take care of little decisions, like how we choose an email provider, may be the reason those big projects, like privacy or diversity, appear to be no more than a pie-in-the-sky.</p>
<p><img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/syringe.png" align="left" width="320"/>The IT industry has relatively few regulations compared to other fields such as aviation, medicine or even hospitality. Consider a doctor who re-uses a syringe - <a href="https://www.chiariello.com/blog/2013/04/new-york-hospital-sued-over-reusing-syringes-on-patients.shtml">how many laws would he be breaking</a>? Would he be violating conditions of his insurance? Yet if an IT worker overlooks the sacrifices a user needs to make when their business accepts the <a href="https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/">Google "privacy" policy</a> and starts using a cloud service, nobody questions them. Many people will applaud their IT staff for choices or recommendations like this, because, of course, "it works". A used syringe "just works" too, but most people would not mind paying the price of a fresh one.</p>
<p>Google's CEO Eric Schmidt tells us that <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/12/google-ceo-eric-schmidt-dismisses-privacy">if you don't have anything to hide, you don't need to worry</a>.</p>
<p>Compare this to the advice of Sun Tzu, author of the indispensable book on strategy, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War">The Art of War</a>. The very first chapter is dedicated to estimating, calculating and planning: what we might call <em>data science</em> today. Tzu unambiguously advises to deceive your opponent, not to let him know the truth about your strengths and weaknesses.</p>
<p>In the third chapter, <em>Offense</em>, Tzu starts out that <em>The best policy is to take a state intact ... to subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence</em>. Surely this is only possible in theory and not in the real world? Yet when I speak to a group of people new to <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a> and they tell me "everybody uses Windows in our country", Tzu's words take on meaning he never could have imagined 2,500 years ago.</p>
<p>In many tech startups and even some teams in larger organizations, the oft-repeated mantra is "take the shortcut". But the shortcuts and the things you get without paying anything, without satisfying the conditions of <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html">genuinely free software</a>, compromises such as Gmail, frequently involve giving up a little bit too much information about yourself: otherwise, why would they leave the bait out for you? As Mr Tzu puts it, you have just been <em>subdued without fighting</em>.</p>
<p>In one community that has taken a prominent role in addressing the challenges of diversity, one of the leaders recently expressed serious concern that their efforts had been subdued in another way: Gmail's Promotions Tab. Essential emails dispatched to people who had committed to their program were routinely being shunted into the Promotions Tab along with all that marketing nonsense that most people never asked for and the recipients never saw them.</p>
<p>I pointed out <a href="https://danielpocock.com/unpaid-work-training-googles-spam-filters">many people have concerns about Gmail</a> and that I had been having thoughts about simply blocking it at my mail server. It is quite easy to configure a mail server to send an official bounce message, for example, in Postfix, it is just one line in the <a href="http://www.postfix.org/access.5.html">/etc/postfix/access</a> file:</p>
<pre>
gmail.com REJECT The person you are trying to contact hasn't accepted Gmail's privacy policy. Please try sending the email from a regular email provider.
</pre>
<p><em>(NOTE: some people read this and thought I meant everybody should run their own email server, but the above code is just an example to <a href="https://danielpocock.com/fair-communication-requires-mutual-consent">encourage discussion</a>. There is <a href="https://protonmail.uservoice.com/forums/284483-feedback/suggestions/14784582-selective-bounce-feature-for-privacy">discussion about adding a similar feature to block messages from Gmail to ProtonMail webmail accounts</a>, so anybody can do this without their own server and take back control over their privacy)</em></p>
<p>Some communities could go further, refusing to accept Gmail addresses on mailing lists or registration forms: would that be the lesser evil compared to a miserable fate in Promotions Tab limbo?</p>
<p>I was quite astounded at the response: several people complained that this was too much for participants to comply with (the vast majority register with a Gmail address) or that it was even showing all Gmail users contempt. Nobody appeared to notice the aforementioned <a href="https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/">Gmail "privacy" policy</a> demonstrates contempt for the users. Nobody seemed to think participants could cope with that and if we hope these people are going to be the future of diversity, that is really, really scary.</p>
<p>Personally, I have far higher hopes for them: just as Admiral McRaven's Navy SEALS are conditioned to make their bed every day at boot camp, people entering IT, especially those from under-represented groups, need to take pride in small victories for privacy and security, like <em>saying "No" each and every time they have the choice to give up some privacy and get something "free"</em>, before they will ever hope to accomplish big projects and change the world.</p>
<p>If they don't learn these lessons at the outset, like the survival and success habits drilled into soldiers during boot-camp, will they ever? If programs just concentrate on some "job skills" and gloss over the questions of privacy and survival in the information age, how can they ever deliver the power shift that is necessary for diversity to mean something?</p>
<p>Come and share your thoughts on the FSFE discussion list (<a href="https://lists.fsfe.org/mailman/listinfo/discussion">join</a>, <a href="https://lists.fsfe.org/pipermail/discussion/2017-June/011591.html">thread</a> and <a href="mailto:discussion@lists.fsfe.org?subject=Is%20it%20acceptable%20to%20use%20proprietary%20software%20%28platforms%29%20to%20promote%20software%20freedom%3F&in-reply-to=%3Cbe517490-d662-8ee0-4224-61568d26694a%40fsfe.org%3E">reply</a>).</p>
<p><em>Please also see the subsequent blog on this topic, </em><a href="https://danielpocock.com/fair-communication-requires-mutual-consent">Fair communication requires mutual consent</a></p>
<img src="https://danielpocock.com/sites/danielpocock.com/files/fullymadebed.jpg"/>In a widely shared video, US Admiral McRaven addressing University of Texas at Austin's Class of 2014 chooses to deliver a simple message: make your bed every day. A highlight of this talk is the quote The little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you'll never be able to do the big things right. In the world of free software engineering, we have lofty goals: the FSF's High Priority Project list identifies goals like private real-time communication, security and diversity in our communities. Those deploying free software in industry have equally high ambitions, ranging from self-driving cars to beating the stock market. Yet over and over again, we can see people taking little shortcuts and compromises. If Admiral McRaven is right, our failure to take care of little decisions, like how we choose an email provider, may be the reason those big projects, like privacy or diversity, appear to be no more than a pie-in-the-sky. The IT industry has relatively few regulations compared to other fields such as aviation, medicine or even hospitality. Consider a doctor who re-uses a syringe - how many laws would he be breaking? Would he be violating conditions of his insurance? Yet if an IT worker overlooks the sacrifices a user needs to make when their business accepts the Google "privacy" policy and starts using a cloud service, nobody questions them. Many people will applaud their IT staff for choices or recommendations like this, because, of course, "it works". A used syringe "just works" too, but most people would not mind paying the price of a fresh one. Google's CEO Eric Schmidt tells us that if you don't have anything to hide, you don't need to worry. Compare this to the advice of Sun Tzu, author of the indispensable book on strategy, The Art of War. The very first chapter is dedicated to estimating, calculating and planning: what we might call data science today. Tzu unambiguously advises to deceive your opponent, not to let him know the truth about your strengths and weaknesses. In the third chapter, Offense, Tzu starts out that The best policy is to take a state intact ... to subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence. Surely this is only possible in theory and not in the real world? Yet when I speak to a group of people new to free software and they tell me "everybody uses Windows in our country", Tzu's words take on meaning he never could have imagined 2,500 years ago. In many tech startups and even some teams in larger organizations, the oft-repeated mantra is "take the shortcut". But the shortcuts and the things you get without paying anything, without satisfying the conditions of genuinely free software, compromises such as Gmail, frequently involve giving up a little bit too much information about yourself: otherwise, why would they leave the bait out for you? As Mr Tzu puts it, you have just been subdued without fighting. In one community that has taken a prominent role in addressing the challenges of diversity, one of the leaders recently expressed serious concern that their efforts had been subdued in another way: Gmail's Promotions Tab. Essential emails dispatched to people who had committed to their program were routinely being shunted into the Promotions Tab along with all that marketing nonsense that most people never asked for and the recipients never saw them. I pointed out many people have concerns about Gmail and that I had been having thoughts about simply blocking it at my mail server. It is quite easy to configure a mail server to send an official bounce message, for example, in Postfix, it is just one line in the /etc/postfix/access file: gmail.com REJECT The person you are trying to contact hasn't accepted Gmail's privacy policy. Please try sending the email from a regular email provider. (NOTE: some people read this and thought I meant everybody should run their own email server, but the above code is just an example to encourage discussion. There is discussion about adding a similar feature to block messages from Gmail to ProtonMail webmail accounts, so anybody can do this without their own server and take back control over their privacy) Some communities could go further, refusing to accept Gmail addresses on mailing lists or registration forms: would that be the lesser evil compared to a miserable fate in Promotions Tab limbo? I was quite astounded at the response: several people complained that this was too much for participants to comply with (the vast majority register with a Gmail address) or that it was even showing all Gmail users contempt. Nobody appeared to notice the aforementioned Gmail "privacy" policy demonstrates contempt for the users. Nobody seemed to think participants could cope with that and if we hope these people are going to be the future of diversity, that is really, really scary. Personally, I have far higher hopes for them: just as Admiral McRaven's Navy SEALS are conditioned to make their bed every day at boot camp, people entering IT, especially those from under-represented groups, need to take pride in small victories for privacy and security, like saying "No" each and every time they have the choice to give up some privacy and get something "free", before they will ever hope to accomplish big projects and change the world. If they don't learn these lessons at the outset, like the survival and success habits drilled into soldiers during boot-camp, will they ever? If programs just concentrate on some "job skills" and gloss over the questions of privacy and survival in the information age, how can they ever deliver the power shift that is necessary for diversity to mean something? Come and share your thoughts on the FSFE discussion list (join, thread and reply). Please also see the subsequent blog on this topic, Fair communication requires mutual consent