1. Collaborating with Non- programmers David Cramer (david@thingbag.net) Janet Swisher (JMSwisher@gmail.com) Texas Linux Fest, April 10, 2010

2. First, who's here? Open source project leaders and members? Programmers? Non-programmers?

3. What we're gonna talk about Stereotypical attitudes Things almost anybody can do Things that require specialized skills or knowledge How to be a great collaborator

4. http://xkcd.com/272/ Obligatory XKCD Comic

5. Do you still have something to offer even if you're not 1337?

6. Things almost anyone can do ContributionWhat's required Using the software, and telling other people that you're using it Enthusiasm, energy Answering questionsSome knowledge of the software Reporting bugsUnderstanding of what's a bug and how to report it Requesting featuresAn idea for a feature

7. Things that require specialized skills or knowledge Designing UIs Websites Marketing

8. Things that require specialized skills or knowledge Documentation Writing Editing Translating

9. Things that require specialized skills or knowledge Maintaining infrastructure Community: website, wikis, mailing lists Documentation: templates, style guide, XSLTs/build Development: bug tracker, source control

10. How to be a great collaborator The gender factor Give guidance on open source culture Manage your tone Appreciate the dumb questions

11. Resources How to Ask Questions the Smart Way: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html How to Report Bugs: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html FLOSS HCI: http://flosshci.org Writing Open Source: http://writingopensource.com