Inessential weirdnesses in free software by libreplanet

Sumana Harihareswara

This talk discusses aspects of our behavior and jargon that stop or slow down some new users and contributors in free software, so that in outreach efforts, we can be better at bridging the gap. These include git's terrible UI, our in-person conference structures, and widespread scorn of and dismissiveness towards team sports, Top 40 music, patriotism, religion, small talk, and Microsoft Windows. In getting rid of unnecessary barriers, we need to watch out for disrespectful oversimplification, so I outline ways you can know if one of our weirdnesses is necessary. And I talk about how to mitigate the effects of an inessential weirdness in your outreach efforts.