The 86%: Is an army of very part-time core contributors good for the community?

Kristen Pol

Did you know that nearly half of all Drupal 8 core contributors only have 1 commit mention? And, 86% have less than 10. With Drupal 8 taking 5 years to develop, that is less than 2 commit mentions per year for the large majority of contributors. I fall into that camp, having only 9 mentions to my name.

As a community, we actively encourage core contribution through mentoring, sponsored sprints, and marketing. A handful of Drupal agencies have dedicated core contributors on staff, but most contribution comes through individual contributors on their own time or at community events.

For this conversation, let's discuss:

  • Reasons people contribute
  • Reasons people feel like they should contribute more
  • Reasons people don't contribute more
  • Pros and cons of having very part-time contributors

    • Intended Audience

    Anyone interested in core development and community involvement would benefit from this session. You will walk away with an understanding of why people contribute, why they don't, and how having very part-time contributors could actually be a good thing.

    Skill Levels

    This session is suitable for anyone. You do not need to know Drupal to understand this topic. If you are an ocassional contributor, don't forget to send your pros and cons or contribution stories to @kristen_pol on Twitter.

    About the Presenter

    Kristen has been working with Drupal since 2004 as a developer and architect, specializing in multilingual, migrations, and SEO. She has 9 Drupal 8 commit mentions. She has presented at DrupalCons, BADCamps, Stanford camps, and other Drupal camps and user group meetings. Check out Kristen's drupal.org page and her Hook 42 team page for more info.

    Register NOW

    Session Track

    Core Conversations

    Experience Level

    Beginner

    Drupal Version