Hi folks,
A question I occasionally get asked by organisations that use Python
commercially but don't currently employ any core developers themselves
is "How can we prioritise getting particular issues
fixed/reviewed/merged?".
A related problem we have in the PSF is knowing which core developers
are available for freelance & consulting work when organisations
approach us regarding larger projects. At the moment, those kinds of
referrals are reliant on Board members' personal knowledge of who
amongst the core development team is open to that style of employment
and making direct introductions, which is neither transparent nor
fair.
As such, what do folks think of the idea of a new, *opt-in* section in
the developer guide, similar to the current experts index, but
allowing core developers to indicate the ways in which we're willing
to provide paid support.
I'd see four likely sections in such a document:
* Freelance consultants: folks that are available for contract
opportunities at the individual level
* Consulting companies: folks that are available for contract
opportunities, but work for larger consulting organisations rather
than contracting directly
* Commercial redistributors: folks that work for commercial Python
redistributors and are willing and able to both help in getting
customer issues resolved and in acting as a point of escalation for
their colleagues
* Direct employment: folks that work directly for organisations that
use Python extensively, and hence are able to act as a point of
escalation for their colleagues
The latter three categories would be further broken out by employer,
while the first would just be a list of names and professional contact
details.
Regards,
Nick.
P.S. Disclosure: I do have my own interests in mind here, both
personally and professionally. At a personal level, I'm a strong
believer in "If you want me to care about your opinion on how I spend
my time, pay me", so it makes sense to me to make it easy for more
commercially-minded core developers to say "Pay me or my employer if
you'd like to influence my time allocation". Professionally, it's
definitely in my interests for both Python core developers and
commercial Python redistributors to be recognised as a group for their
expertise and overall influence on the technology sector.
--
Nick Coghlan | ncoghlan(a)gmail.com | Brisbane, Australia