openSUSE:Board election 2013 platform warlordfff
Platform
Introduction and Biography
My name is Kostas Koudaras (a.k.a. Warlordfff) and I am a man of action, serving the openSUSE Project for the past 5 years as an Ambassador, Translator and Travel Support Team Member(among other things)...
I was in the lead of the openSUSE ambassadors for many years and mentored a lot of ambassadors. Along with Richard Brown we made the new ambassadors program. I am also part of the Travel Support Program with Izabel Valverde. I write articles on news and am part of the openSUSE Marketing team. I am a openSUSE translator for the Greek language. Along with Stathis Iosifidis we started the Greeks openSUSE Community and this year I was in charge of organizing (along with Stella and Henne) the openSUSE Conference 2013 in Thessaloniki.
Beyond all that I am a firefighter and August is always a bit hard month for me when it comes to time since most of August I am on some mountain without wifi, nevertheless if I get elected I will find some. I am also engaged to a wonderfull woman and I have a small hairy dog.
Major Issues
Communication - Communication - Communication
- Between the people of openSUSE so that we can succeed more, together.
- Between Users and developers.
- Between people that are not English speakers and are left out because of this.
- Between openSUSE and SUSE. I know that this is actually a sector that great work is been done but there is always room for improvement.
Over the years I have made suggestions for all of the above in the Board but most of the times things were left unfinished.
Minor Issues
Over the years, one of the things I learned is:
Depending on where you stand, no issue can be stated as minor.
Role of the board
I would like to see a board more visible to the community. I would like to see people trust and use that great tool that is called "The openSUSE Board".
Why you should vote for me?
Aims/Goals
Over the years I think I have proven that I am a man with a vision and a man of action, I just make things happen. I wrote an upgrade for the ambassadors and I was the first who did that although many people were talking about it for many years. With the other guys from the Greek community we showed that local communities can do much more than people thought. I bet that the community could organise and succed more that most people believed and I started by organizing openSUSE collaboration summer camp as a local event and continued last year in Prague by having an oSC planned and organized by the community this July. I have proven so far that am a person who thinks outside the box and that I deliver what ever I promise.
Endorsements
Room for your supporters to leave a word about you
Etern4L
Kostas is a great person. Here in Greece he revolutionized with his passion about Open Source communities and their actions. He passes all his excitement and positive energy to all of us which help us make all those great things here in Greece! He was my mentor to everything i 've succeeded in openSUSE marketing team and i am very thankful for.
I think he is able to revolutionized and pass his energy to the openSUSE Board and together make great things happen! He may yells all the time but it's his normal voice tune, you know Kostas! :)
George Bratsos - openSUSE member, openSUSE Advocate
Efstathios
We had a vision with Kostas. That vision became reality. Kostas is very passionate with openSUSE and specially with global community. As part of ambassador team, he helped a lot of people to join openSUSE and showed them around. He's experienced how the community works and he knows well what's missing, what needs to be done. He has many great ideas for the project (one of them was our Summer Camp event that made Greek community unique). I believe that he's the right person for the board.
Efstathios Iosifidis - openSUSE member, GNOME member
Salih
I remember the years 2005/06, when I was using SuSE and later openSUSE in my daily life and I was looking for help by local openSUSE community... there was none. Fast forward to ~2010 when I met Kostas and a bunch of folks that were passionate to establish a presence of openSUSE in Greece... They've done it ! Kostas is not only the brain, but the soul of openSUSE community in Greece and he is acknowledged by everyone for his contributions and wide-spreading the openSUSE message. He is not just THE MAN for the board but also an essential part of openSUSE's success.
Salih Emin Official Ubuntu Member
Miska
Kostas is a great guy and with him in the board, I'm sure the board will be everywhere at the same time and nobody will be able to complain that he haven't heard what board is doing. He is really active and his activity is viral. He deeply cares about the project. And I believe that having him in the board will be a great for whole project!
Michal '-miska-' Hrusecky
Zoumpis
Kostas is a hard-working and great person. He is my mentor from the begging until now, in the world of openSUSE Community. He is one of the main reasons for my success to my Master studies (King Juan Carlos University) and now for my acceptance to the PhD studies (Alpen-Adria University). All these years of contribution to the project (openSUSE Ambassador Programm, Travel Support Program , openSUSE Greek Community, openSUSE Conference 2013) are characterized by stamina, pacience, hard-work and meritocracy. Especially as for the Travel Support Programm he showed his high interest for people from Latin America by participating in discussions in the Spanish spoken irc channel (#opensuse-es) and tried a lot to solve their problems. During the period that Kostas "developed" the openSUSE Ambassador Programm insipired more and more people to join and contribute to openSUSE Project as Ambassadors but as openSUSE Members as well. Furthermore by mingling the hard-work done in the Greek Community by Kostas and his vision for the openSUSE Project are the main reasons for such a great and successful conference, like oSC13. To the very end, Kostas is a "must" for today's openSUSE Board, as the openSUSE Project,Community and Board will only benefited by his ideas and work.
Athanasios-Ilias Rousinopoulos 'Zoumpis' openSUSE Member
Sakana
Kostas is a great guy and it would be great to have him in the board. He is really active and have power in the event. He give us many idea about openSUSE.Asia and have many discuss during the openSUSE conference in Greece. Kostas is the man we need in the board.
sakana - openSUSE member, openSUSE Advocate
Theo
Just vote for Kostas. His energy is limitless, he accomplishes many things in very short time, while motivating all the people around him in a unique and beautiful way. We need him for a more active Board.
Jos Poortvliet
Kostas has incredible energy which he directs at moving things forward. He's a team player, building others up and thinking about what he is doing. He has shown with oSC13 that he (together with Stella, of course) can move mountains if he has a few G(r)eekos to help out - and he's a motivating force in that. Powerful. -- jospoortvliet
Carlos Ribeiro
Besides the all things that has being done by Kostas, he is a kind of person that you can trust forever, everything that he promises we could also consider done as example, openSUSE Conference 2013, Ambassador Program, TSP, Releases, Hack fests, and of course all he has already made for the greek community.
- Anyway - (another typical kostas favorite words)..
"Planning is good, but acting is better" and because all things Kostas has already proven during his openSUSE years I trust that for the first time in my life, I have no doubts about who deserves my vote in openSUSE Board Elections
irun4kostas
Carlos Ribeiro openSUSE {Member|Artwork|Ambassador}
Stella
Actually doing what's been said is a whole different thing; and it usually takes some balls. Kostas has proven himself, already, through his overall contributions to the project, but most of all he has proven his ability for action and his flexibility to adapt and produce results even under unfavorable conditions (maybe it has something to do with the fact that he's a firefighter?).
His best quality IMO though is motivation. Keeping everyone around him on their toes, active and contributing; that's what he does best!
Wouldn't you seek those qualities for a board member?