openSUSE:Board election 2020 platform Knurpht

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Platform

Note: This page is used by the candidate of the board election as a platform to show his views and answer some standard questions.

Introduction and Biography

Contact Details edit

Gertjan Lettink













Contact Details

My contact details in short:


Hi, my name is Gertjan Lettink, VERSION=19600628, and I live in Groningen, Netherlands. I work as a self employed ICT entrepreneur.

I started my linux life on S.u.S.E. 6.4, never missed a version since. From 2001 I've managed to keep the house windows-free, i.e. my youngest (now 18) has been using linux from birth ( her user account is a day younger than she is ).

My main activities in the openSUSE community have - apart from being on the Board two terms before - been in the forums, both in giving support and as a global moderator; on request of users I founded the dutch subforums. Over the years I've seen many parts of the openSUSE project: built nvidia packages in the early Tumbleweed days in OBS, built custom install media and appliances in SUSE studio, filed bug reports etc etc etc. From around 2010 I've co-organized dutch launch parties and tried to get lots of attention for the oSC2015 in my country. Am still doing talks and openSUSE representations.

openSUSE is not only my home distro ( kids all run openSUSE, most of them only openSUSE ), I also use it professionally and have been able to convert customers to openSUSE, both on desktops and servers, varying from NFS/NIS and LDAP based office networks to complete ICT infrastructures and cloud solutions. Most of my customers are in the non-profit area.

Above all, I'm not here for personal success, I'm a community person with a strong belief in "free", "open" and "community". In my life "success" means that others are happy with what I do.

Aims, Goals, Thoughts

  • The big points I'd like to make on the board can be summarized in one word: Communication.
    • On the one hand cross-community communication, imagine a mixture, a collection of news.opensuse.org, connect.opensuse.org, forums.opensuse.org and f.e. the mailing lists archives. I still feel the same about this, though I haven't been able to make a big change here
    • In all this I see means to not only improve our overall presentation, but also to show that it's fun to contribute to the project, to get people do things. We're makers, aren't we? We have been losing users let's find ways to turn that around

    • Another thing that has been on my mind since osc2015 is the release of SUSE's code base to openSUSE. Leap 42.1 has been the first proof of how we can benefit, Jump is now a real thing, but what more can we help make happen?
    • Last but not least, my personal aim is to keep on contributing to the openSUSE Project, making it even better than it already is.

Disclaimer

None of the above is meant as criticism towards the current board or previous ones. The openSUSE Project is and will be a work in progress.

Role of the board

The openSUSE Board is a representation of the community. In all its decision making that should be the leading principle. Apart from the tasks already described on the openSUSE:Board pages, and related to my main campaign issue I also see a task for the board to help propagate the project and its achievements.

Why you should vote for me?

  • Number one: For my love and care for the openSUSE project. Found "all over the place".
  • For my skills as an allrounder: I'm able to be a bridge between tech- and non-tech people, I can talk as well as listen, write as well as read, plan as well as do, work on my own as well as a team member ( preferably as a team member though )
  • For my years of experience, not only in the openSUSE community, with volunteer projects.
  • My 10 years of giving support where ever I can. This in forums, on mailing-lists, Discord, Matrix, Telegram, Facebook, help testing, and pre-COVID19 (co-)organize launch parties, workshops and so on.
  • Why not?


Endorsements

If you have any, please leave them below, you have my gratitude.

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