A new contract with users Thoughts on the user/maintainer relationship

whoami • Florian Gilcher • “skade” on GitHub and rust-jp Slack • Rubyist and Rustacean • Rust community & core team • Founder of Ferrous Systems • https://ferrous-systems.com • Founder of RustFest and Rust Berlin

Fundamental thesis We don’t talk enough about the users/maintainers relationship from the maintainers side. The users/maintainers relationship is often modelled as hierarchical.

The things we say “Users should keep maintainers in mind” • It’s a common thing we hear a lot • It’s true and well-trodden “Maintainers should keep users in mind” • This is rarely spoken about • Often is seen as a burden

Relationship • Relationships are built by two-sided (social) contracts • Good relationships: • Are easier and effort-saving in the long run • Not a burden • May seem like a costly investment in the short run

Users and adopters are making a bet • Users trust maintainers and creators fundamentally, by using their software • Users, especially commercial ones, are betting their product on you • For individuals, this may involve their standing in the company • User disagreement often has complex sources

Users are diverse • Individuals • Hobbyists • Freelancers • Small companies • Large, multinational companies

What can maintainers bring • Better guided feedback • Actively work to enable it • Clear communication • Visibility into the future • Content curation • Check for user well-being! • “This week in Rust” • The books, the documented RFC process • ???

Honorable mention • Aki: Using Rust in Metal Fabrication • https://rustfest.global/session/1-using-rust-in-metal-fabrication/ • Talks about how companies should think about how place themselves in communities for their own good

Thank you