Linux.conf.au 2018 – Day 4 – Keynote – Hugh Blemings

Wandering through the Commons

Reflections on Free and Open Source Software/Hardware in Australia, New Zealand and beyond

  • Past Linux.conf.au’s reviewed
  • FOSS in Aus and NZ
    • Above per capita
  • List of Aus / NZ people and their contributions
    • John Lions , Lions book on Unix
    • Pia Andrews/Waugh/Smith – Open Government, GovHack, Linux Australia, Open Data
    • Vik Oliver – 3D Printing
    • Clare Cuuran – Open Government in NZ
    • plus a bunch of others

Working in Free Software and Open Hardware

  • The basics
    • Be visable in projects of relevance
      • You will be typed into Google, looked at in GitHub
    • Be yourself
      • But be business Friendly
    • Linkedin is a thing, really
    • Need a accurate basic presence
  • Finding a new job
    • Networks
    • Local user groups
    • Conferences
    • The projects you work on
  • Application and negotiation
    • Be professional, courteous
    • Do homework about company and culture
    • Talk to people that work there
    • Spend time on interview prep
      • Know your stuff, if you don’t know, say so
    • Think about Salary expectations and stick to them
      • Val Aurora’s page on this is excellent
    • Ask to keep copyright on your code
      • Should be a no-brainer for a FOSS.OH company
  • In the Job
    • Takes time to get into groove, don’t sweat it
    • Get out every now and then, particularly if working from home
    • Work/life balance
    • Know when to jump
      • Poisonous workplaces
    • An aside to People’s managers
      • Bring your best or don’t be a people manager
      • Take your reports welfare seriously

Looking after You

  • Ours is in the main a sedentary and solitary pursuit
    • exercise
  • Sitting and standing in front of a desk all day is bad
    • takes breaks
  • Depression is a real thing
  • Eat more vegetables
  • Find friends/colleagues to exercise with

Working if FOSS / OH – Staying Current

  • Look over a colleagues shoulder
  • Do something that is not part of your regular job
    • low level programming
    • Karger systems, Openstack
  • Stay uptodate with Security Blogs and the like
    • Many of the attack vectors have generic relevance
  • Take the lid off, tinker with hardware
    • Lots of videos online to help or just watch

Make Hay while the Sun Shines

  • Save some money for rainy day
  • Keep networks Open
  • Even when you have a job

You’re fired … Now What? – In a moment

  • Don’t panic
    • Going out in a twitter storm won’t help anyone
  • It’s not personal
    • It is the position that is no longer needed, not you
  • If you think it an unfair dismissal, seek legal advice before signing anything
  • It is normal to feel rubbish
  • Beware of imposter syndrome
  • Try to keep 2-3 opportunities in the pipeline
  • Don’t assume people will remember you
    • It’s not personal, everyone gets busy
    • It’s okay to (politely naturally) follow up periodically
  • Keep search a little narrow for the first week or two
    • The expand widely
  • Balance take “something/everything” as better than waiting for your dream job

Dream Job

  • Power 9 CPU
    • 14nm process
    • 4GHz, 24 cores
    • 25km of wires
    • 8 billion transisters
    • 3900 official chips pins
    • ~19,000 connections from die to the pin

Conclusions

  • Part of a vibrant FOSS/OH community both hear and abroad
  • We have accomplished much
  • The most exciting (in both senses) things lie before us
  • We need all of you to be part at every level of the stack
  • Look forward to working with you…
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