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@gmail.com | Brisbane, Australia