dc7 - 1.0
DebConf7
| Speakers | |
|---|---|
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Andreas Tille |
| Schedule | |
|---|---|
| Day | 13 |
| Room | Lower BoF Room |
| Start time | 17:15 |
| Duration | 00:45 |
| Info | |
| ID | 33 |
| Event type | Workshop |
| Track | DebConf |
| Language | English |
| Feedback | |
|---|---|
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Leading a Free Software project
About the difference between being a boss and a leader
There is a big difference between an employer - employee and a Free Software project leader - volunteer developer relation. In the first case making an income is the driving force in the second the common goal to get out a working project. In the first case fun is a nice thing to have in the second case it is essential.
In the workshop I try to summarise some experiences I gained in the Debian-Med project. My personal goal was to start the project and just taking over the initial initiative to get something happen. I had to learn that people tend to address me as "leader" of the project - a position I did not really intend to take over. But I just realised that people have more fun if there is a person that starts spreading ideas and generating tasks that might be interesting to take over.
So being a Free Software leader is more like taking the slack end of the red thread and drawing it in the right direction by making sure that enough people stay close to this line than like administrating a company with a certain amount of employees. I'm currently in the process of realising these facts and want to discuss these ideas with other people to enhance the quality of leading a project, I'm far from claiming that I did a good job in the Debian-Med case - so it is not as if I would be able to give an example to copy. I just want to take the chance of this workshop to share ideas with others to make leading Free Software projects more effectively.