<commit_before>---
layout: post
title: openSUSE & You
subtitle: Contributing to our Project
date: '2016-04-03 02:00:00'
bigimg:
  - "/pics/oSC/osc11.jpg" : "openSUSE Conference 2011 - Nuremberg"
  - "/pics/oSC/osc12.jpg" : "openSUSE Conference 2012 - Prague"
  - "/pics/oSC/osc12-2.jpg" : "openSUSE Conference 2012 - Prague"
  - "/pics/oSC/osc13.jpg" : "openSUSE Conference 2013 - Thessaloniki"
  - "/pics/oSC/osc14.jpg" : "openSUSE Conference 2014 - Dubrovnik"
---
The [openSUSE Project](http://www.opensuse.org) is awesome. We're doing facinating stuff that is treading new ground in the world of Free and Open Source Software.  
If you're interested in how and why we're doing this stuff, if you'd like to get involved, then **this blog post is for you**.  
After reading you should have an idea of how we work and how to get started working with us.

- ["How does the openSUSE Project work?"](#How)
- ["Who decides what happens?"](#Who)
- ["What do you need me to do?"](#What)
- ["How do I get started?"](#Starting)

# How does the Project work? <a name="How"></a>
The Project is a self-organised, self-governed, community working on the openSUSE Distributions ([Tumbleweed](https://en.opensuse.org/Portal:Tumbleweed) & [Leap](https://en.opensuse.org/Portal:42.1)) as well as various other Free and Open Source Software, including [OBS](http://openbuildservice.org), [openQA](https://openqa.opensuse.org), [OSEM](http://osem.io/), [Portus](http://port.us.org/), [Machinery](http://machinery-project.org/), and more.

We have no Product Managers, Project Managers, or Community Managers.  
We have no Technical Committees or Steering Groups.  
For those who have read "The Cathedral and the Bazaar", openSUSE is very much a "Bazaar" and hardly anything like a "Cathedral". Whatever Teams we do have are self-organised by the members of those teams, with different ways of working together to accomplish whatever particular goals within the project they are working on.

The Project does have the [openSUSE Board](https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Board), who's role is to *'lead'* the Project by acting as a central point of contact and conflict resolution.
In other words, they help keep everyone in the loop with what everyone else is doing, help resolve any conflicts that arise, and act as the 'decision makers of _last resort_' in situations where decisions need to be made and there is no one else available or willing to do so.  
The Board is a little like the ['A-Team'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1HMCArgqWM) -  If you have a problem, if no one else can help, then the Board is there for you, either to help out, or help you find better help elsewhere.
The Board is elected by the [openSUSE Members](https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Members), those contributorswho have demonstrated sustained and substantial contributions to the Project.

[SUSE](http://www.suse.com) are the primary sponsor of the openSUSE Project. All SUSE employees are encouraged to contribute to the openSUSE Project. These contributions are carried out as 'peers';  
No special treatment is granted to SUSE employees, in fact the employer of a contributor should be irrelevant within the openSUSE Project.  
In areas of particular interest or importance to SUSE, they may hire folk to work in particular roles within the openSUSE Project. With one exception (the role of Chairman of the Board), **none of these roles should be considered exclusive** to SUSE. There is scope for **_anyone_** to contribute to the openSUSE project at any level, assuming they are willing and capable to do the work.

# Who decides what happens? <a name="Who"></a>

## You Do.  

We are driven by our contributions. If something is not being done, it's because no one has decided to do it. We do our best to make openSUSE very accessible in order to make us the natural choice to be the Project through which you give your time & effort.

The openSUSE Project is structured the way it is to empower our contributors to really shape the direction of the Project. Also a significant amount of the tools we have as a Project exist in order to make those contributions easier. OBS and OSEM are obvious examples, but this is true in all aspects of the project, from the technical parts to the diverse range of other activities, marketing, advocacy, outreach, community, wiki, documentation, and more.

You don't need to ask permission to get started, you just need to know what you want to do.

# What do you need me to do? <a name="What"></a>

## You Decide.  
Please don't be terrified by this! To quote The Cathedral and the Bazaar:
> "Every good work [...] starts by scratching a [...] personal itch."  
> -- ["The Cathedral and the Bazaar", <NAME>](http://www.catb.org/esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/)
<commit_msg>openSUSE & You - Fix typo<commit_after>---
layout: post
title: openSUSE & You
subtitle: Contributing to our Project
date: '2016-04-03 02:00:00'
bigimg:
  - "/pics/oSC/osc11.jpg" : "openSUSE Conference 2011 - Nuremberg"
  - "/pics/oSC/osc12.jpg" : "openSUSE Conference 2012 - Prague"
  - "/pics/oSC/osc12-2.jpg" : "openSUSE Conference 2012 - Prague"
  - "/pics/oSC/osc13.jpg" : "openSUSE Conference 2013 - Thessaloniki"
  - "/pics/oSC/osc14.jpg" : "openSUSE Conference 2014 - Dubrovnik"
---
The [openSUSE Project](http://www.opensuse.org) is awesome. We're doing facinating stuff that is treading new ground in the world of Free and Open Source Software.  
If you're interested in how and why we're doing this stuff, if you'd like to get involved, then **this blog post is for you**.  
After reading you should have an idea of how we work and how to get started working with us.

- ["How does the openSUSE Project work?"](#How)
- ["Who decides what happens?"](#Who)
- ["What do you need me to do?"](#What)
- ["How do I get started?"](#Starting)

# How does the Project work? <a name="How"></a>
The Project is a self-organised, self-governed, community working on the openSUSE Distributions ([Tumbleweed](https://en.opensuse.org/Portal:Tumbleweed) & [Leap](https://en.opensuse.org/Portal:42.1)) as well as various other Free and Open Source Software, including [OBS](http://openbuildservice.org), [openQA](https://openqa.opensuse.org), [OSEM](http://osem.io/), [Portus](http://port.us.org/), [Machinery](http://machinery-project.org/), and more.

We have no Product Managers, Project Managers, or Community Managers.  
We have no Technical Committees or Steering Groups.  
For those who have read "The Cathedral and the Bazaar", openSUSE is very much a "Bazaar" and hardly anything like a "Cathedral". Whatever Teams we do have are self-organised by the members of those teams, with different ways of working together to accomplish whatever particular goals within the project they are working on.

The Project does have the [openSUSE Board](https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Board), who's role is to *'lead'* the Project by acting as a central point of contact and conflict resolution.
In other words, they help keep everyone in the loop with what everyone else is doing, help resolve any conflicts that arise, and act as the 'decision makers of _last resort_' in situations where decisions need to be made and there is no one else available or willing to do so.  
The Board is a little like the ['A-Team'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1HMCArgqWM) -  If you have a problem, if no one else can help, then the Board is there for you, either to help out, or help you find better help elsewhere.
The Board is elected by the [openSUSE Members](https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Members), those contributors who have demonstrated sustained and substantial contributions to the Project.

[SUSE](http://www.suse.com) are the primary sponsor of the openSUSE Project. All SUSE employees are encouraged to contribute to the openSUSE Project. These contributions are carried out as 'peers';  
No special treatment is granted to SUSE employees, in fact the employer of a contributor should be irrelevant within the openSUSE Project.  
In areas of particular interest or importance to SUSE, they may hire folk to work in particular roles within the openSUSE Project. With one exception (the role of Chairman of the Board), **none of these roles should be considered exclusive** to SUSE. There is scope for **_anyone_** to contribute to the openSUSE project at any level, assuming they are willing and capable to do the work.

# Who decides what happens? <a name="Who"></a>

## You Do.  

We are driven by our contributions. If something is not being done, it's because no one has decided to do it. We do our best to make openSUSE very accessible in order to make us the natural choice to be the Project through which you give your time & effort.

The openSUSE Project is structured the way it is to empower our contributors to really shape the direction of the Project. Also a significant amount of the tools we have as a Project exist in order to make those contributions easier. OBS and OSEM are obvious examples, but this is true in all aspects of the project, from the technical parts to the diverse range of other activities, marketing, advocacy, outreach, community, wiki, documentation, and more.

You don't need to ask permission to get started, you just need to know what you want to do.

# What do you need me to do? <a name="What"></a>

## You Decide.  
Please don't be terrified by this! To quote The Cathedral and the Bazaar:
> "Every good work [...] starts by scratching a [...] personal itch."  
> -- ["The Cathedral and the Bazaar", <NAME>](http://www.catb.org/esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/)

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