Community development: MySQL approach
MySQL recently threw MySQL Winter of Code, an initiative for encouraging contributions to MySql. Kaj Arnö, Vice President of Open Source Community Relations, said that more coding happens during wintertime than in summer, referring indirectly to Google’s initiative Summer of Code™.
As in other Open Source projects held by a Corporate actor, all contributors have to sign the Contributor License Agreement, now available in a click-through version to make things easier.
At the first MySQL Camp yhere were 223 registered attendees, definitely a success.Partecipants asked if MySQL AB was planning going to ask the community members for:
- what new features they would want others to contribute
- what contributions they are proposing to implement themselves
MySQL told them they have been contemplating mostly the second item, but after feebacks they were considering both of them.
MySQL is trying to develop its hybrid approach from the commensalistic form to a more symbiotic one, evaluating if and how get community members in the whole production process, moving beyond bug reporting and fixing.
