Maybe the perspective of a newbie might be of some help--or maybe not--but...
I discovered RIPE NCC from an article on the Open Source
Initiative's website, "The ultimate list of reactions to the Cyber
Resilience Act [1], which led me to a page on the European
Commission's website [2].
I had to do a bit of hunting around to find out more about RIPE
NCC and the organization's open source activities (as I would
expect), but a quick search [3] led me right to the Open Source WG
[4].
The information there must have been complete/relevant enough to entice me to join. I will admit I had to do a bit more searching/investigating to learn more about RIPE as the page and working group noted that the list and WG were for the "RIPE community" and "open source projects related to the RIPE community." So MAYBE if I was a bit more shy (or considerate) I would not have joined as neither are exactly in line with my area of work/development/interest, i.e., education technology, higher education, research computing, etc. However as open source was the theme and I am interested in learning and working more with folks in the EU, I thought I would reach out.
Once I joined the list (easy to do), I introduced myself; which I
feel is the considerate thing to do, just so no one feels I am
spying on them.
I was very happy to get a friendly reply from the WG chair that not only welcomed me and introduced himself (and the list) but also included a few topics of shared interest which sparked a few more exchanges. I felt like the list was active and grateful for my participation.
So, if my experience is any indication, I think "on-boarding" went pretty well.
If I were to offer any suggestions,
- I can understand how, if the reply is only to me, others might not know (and therefore be concerned) if I received a reply. I can also understand not wanting to pollute the list. Maybe create a generic reply so the list members can see the new member was welcomed? I'd also encourage others to say hello as well. Both Martin and Luka said Hi. I assume there are three people active on the list!?
- The WG page *could* be a bit more descriptive so that those unfamiliar with RIPE or the discussions could learn more. But this might be a never ending quest, as I suspect there will always be additional information that could help the next person. I did search the list archives [5] before actually joining to try and determine if the discussions would actually be of interest to me--and if my interests would be of interest to you all. I am not sure if other potential members would do this.
I hope this helps,
Patrick
1. https://blog.opensource.org/the-ultimate-list-of-reactions-to-the-cyber-resilience-act/
2. https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/13410-Cyber-resilience-act-new-cybersecurity-rules-for-digital-products-and-ancillary-services/F3376593_en
3. https://www.google.com/search?q=%22RIPE+NCC%22+%22open+source%22_
4. https://www.ripe.net/community/wg/active-wg/os/
5. https://www.ripe.net/ripe/mail/archives/opensource-wg/
Luka, there isn't a clear structure and most of the Working Group Activity is happening at the RIPE Meetings. But in general, a long time ago I started the WG with the idea to have better communication between Open Source Developers and Internet Providers. Traditionally, we focus on Open Source Software focused in the networking space, but there are no fixed rules on what is included and what not. We tried to adjust a bit based on our personal experience, background and feedback from the community here on the list, during the meetings and privately. If you go to https://www.ripe.net/community/wg/active-wg/os/, then you see our charter (and some outdated examples of Open Source Projects). Most of it is centered around the meetings and the presentations there. (And there are some awesome presentation in the RIPE Archive to watch) (And if this is not clear: All the presentations can be watched live through streaming during the meeting and are available afterwards in the RIPE archive at https://www.ripe.net/membership/meetings/ripe-meetings/archive/ ) Sometimes it's an update on some Open Source project, an Outlook to a future version, discussion on funding or licensing, failed projects (always great to learn from failures from others!), Community building, Testing, etc. The list is not conclusive and we are open to anything anyone can think would help an open source project for this audience (we try to limit it a bit to Open Source in the network space, but there are no clear guidelines and we are happy to discuss how far this stretches. Also, we are only humans and some projects can be used in interesting and unusual ways) Here on the mailing list, similar topics are welcome. You will also see discussion about potential events at other conferences or discussion on some rules for conduct (as templates for projects). So basically, the community is what we want it to be. So sorry, no formal member guide. Regards, Martin Winter Open Source WG Co-Chair On Tue, Feb 13, 2024 at 12:13 PM Luka Perkov <luka.perkov@bit.hr> wrote:Hello Martin, Thanks for sharing, I am still struggling to figure out how the working group is exactly organized. Could you perhaps create a new member guide so we can foster and grow the community further together? Luka On Mon, Feb 12, 2024 at 2:58 AM Martin Winter <mwinter@netdef.org> wrote:Luka, not all replies need to copy the whole list. I sent him some information and hoped to have encouraged him enough to actually show up at some future RIPE meeting. New members are always welcome and we are happy to help, but CC'ing the whole list every time with the same information is just noise in my view. Regards, Martin Winter Open Source WG Co-Chair On Sat, Feb 10, 2024 at 1:57 PM Luka Perkov via opensource-wg <opensource-wg@ripe.net> wrote:Hello Patrick, It is a pleasure to have you here and we wish you a warm welcome! Chairs, it would be much appreciated if you could also welcome the new members and include any other noteworthy details so we can grow this community and make the Internet a better place. With best regards, Luka Perkov On Tue, Feb 6, 2024 at 11:59 PM Patrick Masson <patrick.masson@apereo.org> wrote:Hello list, I just discovered this list and thought I would send out an email to introduce myself (https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-masson-apereo). I am currently serving as the executive director at the Apereo Foundation (https://www.apereo.org/), a US based non-profit working to advance open source software in academic and research institutions. Apereo has several projects and members (colleges and universities) located in Europe and we commonly participate in a varsity of European free and open source communities and events. Looking forward to chatting with you all, Patrick -- | |||| | | || | | || | || | | || ||| | | | || | | || ||| || | || | | ||| | | | | || | Patrick Masson Executive Director Apereo Foundation 9450 SW Gemini Dr PMB 98572 Beaverton, OR 97008-7105 Mobile: +1 (970) 4-MASSON Website: www.apereo.org _______________________________________________ opensource-wg mailing list opensource-wg@ripe.net https://lists.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/opensource-wg To unsubscribe from this mailing list, get a password reminder, or change your subscription options, please visit: https://lists.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/opensource-wg_______________________________________________ opensource-wg mailing list opensource-wg@ripe.net https://lists.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/opensource-wg To unsubscribe from this mailing list, get a password reminder, or change your subscription options, please visit: https://lists.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/opensource-wg_______________________________________________ opensource-wg mailing list opensource-wg@ripe.net https://lists.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/opensource-wg To unsubscribe from this mailing list, get a password reminder, or change your subscription options, please visit: https://lists.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/opensource-wg