GitHub Open Source Friday, 24 Feb 2023

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From YouTube: Community building with Web Assembly - Open Source Friday

Description

This Open Source Friday, we're chatting with Nyah Macklin about the barriers around navigating open source as a Black developer. We'll also discuss learning Web Assembly and adopting new technologies as your career progresses.

Come hang with us on twitch.tv/github

A

Everybody today we are doing open source Friday as I do every Friday, um and this is basically a show or a twitch stream, where I chat with open source, maintainers or open source core contributors about their experiences and about their projects that they're working on to help get us more exposed to open source as well. So I'm gonna bring up Naya. Who is our guest today, hey Naya, hey Kim, how you doing good good? Would you mind introducing yourself for us? Yes,.

B

First of all, thank you all so much for coming. I am so grateful and so appreciative to Roselle for having me on today, um but yeah. So to give a little bit of uh like who am I. What do I do Etc, so my name is Naya Macklin, um my pronouns.

B

Are they them theirs and I am a developer Advocate and the founding one of the founding software Engineers for this incredible up and coming web assembly accessibility, company and that company, uh you need to keep your eyes and your ears out for it's called sup or capital software systems, so suborbital, um but I have a number of years of experience advocating for the use of free software and the Equitable use of Open Source, but actually I'm an engineer who has a non-traditional background right so um I just like Brazil, we are career Changers, um so I actually have a degree in African and African-American studies from Brandeis University, so I do not have a CS degree or anything like that, and my previous career was in civil service and Community organizing.

B

um So uh that particular background. It's really interesting folk will be like like. Why would you switch from Community to organizing into Tech, like those seem like very different um experiences, and um it's it's very cool, because my background gave me the expertise right to decipher the ways or the systems that um the systems within Tech that continue to perpetuate either exclusion or bias for historically marginalized communities right.

B

um So when I'm, not writing code, I am um or a developer. Centered content for suborbital and repping them, proud, um I'm, uh um usually Helping Seniors learn how to become more technically illiterate because it's a struggle. That's.

A

Awesome when you say seniors, you mean an age right, yeah, that's awesome! I didn't know you did that yep yep! It's a.

B

Thing it's hard: it's really really difficult um yeah. We can get into it later.

A

A

Now, that's all I want to talk about yeah for real. No, but um even when you said um you, you came from this community organizing background to Tech I feel like there's so much like Community, organizing and Community Building within Tech, so, like those schools are so transferable. Yes,.

C

A

Well, you've been, you said: you rep suborbitals, so tell us what it is. Yes,.

B

Oh some orbital, like I, said y'all need to keep your eyes out for this company right here: okay, so we're really small um but we're actually a company that builds products that leverage this technology called webassembly um to make SAS or software as a software as a service applications extensible with user-defined plugins. So um we have a number of different products and open source products, but um in general that's what we do. Oh.

A

Okay and I think this is I, would I'm gonna skip a question and then Circle back to it? We haven't seen a question in the chat that I also have this question of, is what is webassembly I've like read about it, but like I, do not understand what I'm reading so.

C

A

Like explaining it to like, if you were speaking to a five-year-old or something yeah,.

B

No excellent question. Thank you so much Abhishek yeah! You got the real question right here. So yeah like when I first heard a web assembly, I was like I, don't even know what that is. What are you talking about? Is that a word like what is that that technology is that a language right so actually so I'll give the like a proper definition for webassembly and then I'll give like the like.

B

If we're you know, if we're brand new web assembly like in plain language, what would that mean so webassembly or wasm for sure you often hear folk um call it wasm, w-a-s-m or capital letters, um but webassembly is actually a compiled Target right. So it's a compile Target where you can compile your favorite programming language and then execute that language on the browser. So let me let me eli5 so explain like I'm five. That's what that means. um So let me explain like I'm five.

B

So if Roselle, you and myself are speaking a language, so if I speak a particular language and you speak a particular language that can be English, for example, so if we're both speaking English, then we share the same language or it could be a language called JavaScript. Some some folk might not know what JavaScript is.

B

That's perfectly fine, but if you do, you know that that is a programming language, um so uh for eli5, explain like I'm, five wasm or webassembly if we're speaking, two different languages, if we're speaking two different languages here, wasm is the translator. Okay. That allows us to understand each other that allows you to understand me and me to understand you, and it does that super fast.

B

So you can think of wasm and webassembly as the translator between two different languages, um that language could be JavaScript or it could be like go rust, um Siege plus, plus, like anything like that.

A

Okay, wow: that's actually the best explanation that I've I've heard so far, because every time I read it I'm like I, still don't know what it is it is it a language but now I'm understanding that it's not a language, it's just a compiler and it could come from other languages. I.

C

Thought it was.

A

Used for rust too I was like, is it I, don't know, but that was great. Someone also wrote great explanation. I also want to call out that Ramon is watching so hey Ramon,.

A

Awesome all right so Haley's here hey! No! This is a regular thing like I. Do this every Friday? Just so you know.

A

All right and I'll just say you know a couple more people also hey to AJ. What's up so we learned about what is suborbital, we learned that webassembly is translating program languages from one to another so that they can be able to communicate with each other.

A

um How did you discover open source was suborbital your first encounter with it um to were you into it way before suborbital yeah.

B

Yes, so um it's really interesting. um Suborbital was my first uh Contra formal contribution to an open source project that I, of course, didn't maintain.

B

um So that was really incredible but like how did I discover open source, so I heard of the concept of Open Source, actually through the concept of free software, um and that was specifically through yes, honey, AJ suborbital is tight. Okay, stop playing so orbital.dev y'all go take a look, um but um so I I learned about even the concept of free software through this organization.

B

That's right located in Boston, where I used to live the free software, Foundation, okay um and I had not like known about this uh concept or movement or like even the fact that um software could be free or could be open source for communities. I had only known of like Tech and software to be like things that were only accessible to the most quote-unquote elite and those who were quote unquote.

B

Elite did not look like you and me right, um and so, um when I had um recognized that oh, like open source, is actually a way that I too can build software and build software that is accessible to lots of different communities, and that is something that I was really really interested in um and so like I had mentioned. Suborbital was my first um contribution to a um to an open source project that I wasn't maintaining.

C

B

I absolutely love the process, um so yeah I can talk about that a little bit um later, but the first thing that I had built with suborbital um was this: um was this? It was called the create Handler command.

B

It's like a little integration into a CLI which is um command line, integration, um a tool um and um the entire process was made really really easy through the team and so that first introduction to open source through suborbital was what led me to continue to um both, maintain and um and contribute to open source in the future. I.

A

Love I love that, like Discovery for you, I love that, like I I, also I'm new, like I, still think I'm fairly new to open source, because I only discovered when I started working at GitHub I remember in resilient coders. That Leon had encouraged my cohort to get involved with free, open source Foundation, but I was kind of like I. Don't got time for that I'm just gonna about it. My projects yeah so I really didn't understand.

A

At that point, um let me see, let me see I, don't wanna, so I see y'all's questions, I'm gonna just star some of them, but we'll get to those later and then we're not gonna go to technical right now in in this episode. Just so, you all know all right. So um my other question or follow-up question we talked about like how you discovered open source is like what did your career Journey look like from first learning to code to now maintaining projects that oh suborbital.

B

Oh, we, yes, okay, so what did that career? Journey? Look like um so I had started off both Roselle and I. Both went to resilient coders, um incredible coding, boot camp that gave folk or low income, but in the Boston area the opportunity to learn incredible technical skills, which would then propel them into high income positions and those positions come with power as right.

B

um So uh thinking about like what was my journey into open source and into suborbital, um that was the Crux and the core of it. um I did like I said before, like before I had transitioned into Tech didn't even know the open source was a thing, um but then, uh throughout that journey and throughout um the coding boot camp and then um also working for another company.

B

It was a healthcare tech company um and then moving then to suborbital, which I, like you know, like I rip and die for suborbital um like I love, it no I, love it, um but yeah. So um a little bit about um I think that that's like the overall of what like what the journey has been, um but I I, also like I, had mentioned, I, also maintain or I started off.

B

Maintaining my own project and- and that was my like first first introduction to open source, was like building this project and I think we're going to get into a little bit later. This incredible project called communal, um and we can talk about that later, but that was my first, um um my first uh intersection at like building something that can be used and should be used by everyone for free yeah.

A

I mean, if you don't mind, we could go into it since, like it seems like a natural transition of like what was your. What was your intention with like what are your plans for, or what were your plans for it and.

C

A

um Yeah we'll we'll start.

B

With that, that's perfect, that's perfect! Okay, so yeah so um I have a ongoing open source project called communal, so communal I'm, so proud of it like I love it so much um communal is a resource sharing application right. It's a resource sharing application for folks to try and disrupt capitalism and reinvigorate the gift economy. All right so I had started this project during the pandemic, where folks of my community were really struggling to get basic safety equipment right.

B

So that is masks gloves PPE, which is personal, protective equipment right um and other small things that could be diapers. It could be formula toilet paper, right, food right, basic necessities and folk in my community, lower income Community they were struggling to get their hands on, especially during the pandemic.

B

So I had created this application to um to uh make it easier for folk to share our Resources with each other right like try and get off of um having to having to need the money to buy things, especially when um we don't have control over the distribution of such items. Right so trying to give that power back to us and and really um and really try to and disrupt that normal. What we, what we've made normal in our minds is that we have to buy Goods rather than sharing our resources.

B

So that's why I had created the project um and I have lots of lots of big plans for it as well. um I've already built the basic interface for the exchanging process of goods. um However, I'm still looking to build out a Tracker as well, um which is one of the few features that I'm looking to build out for the project, um so that folk can see- and this will help with folks taxes in the future. But folk can track and see what donations they have made via that application.

B

Yes, and that'll then help with doing their taxes Etc and.

A

Oh, that's a great addition like yes making it way easier because I hate when I do taxes and they're like what gifts and donations. Have you done I'm like I, don't remember.

A

Me asking I would say for me: I, usually I know you said you were like working on it and then like there was barriers that maybe didn't allow you to continue working on it. uh For me, I usually get blocked because of time or finances and other responsibilities that come up. Would you say it's the same for you? Are there any additional barriers that may stop People Like Us from being able to continue maintaining our own open source projects without.

B

A doubt like right, like without a doubt like if I, could work on this open source project and really like many open source projects, even suborbitals open source projects. Full time like that would be the dream right, because the projects that we're making not only remember like open source project, isn't it's inherently um uh more accessible to various members of our community, rather than clothes stores like closed source is usually for profit as well et cetera, et cetera, like it's all those added layers so like. If I could do this full-time like full, stop.

B

That's the dream, um however, right when we, when we talk blatantly about it, like I, can't afford to do so right, like I right now, am the primary Breadwinner for my family right and for those who don't know or didn't gather from the the conversation that we've had so far like my family.

B

Also, we we have been in poverty up until two about like two to three two to three years ago, when I had joined the the field yeah, and so it's a drastically different experience um and, um like I said we had, we have just come into building generational wealth and that is directly tied to my transitioning into Tech. Right, yes,.

C

B

The decision to contribute to open source full-time is not a luxury that I, both you and myself have. um If we want to continue to provide for our families, um create, you know, maintain a roof over. Our heads have food, electricity and water. Yes,.

A

Yeah and that's been like a reoccurring, so this month, I've mostly tried to um feature black maintainers just because it's three months and that's been like the reoccurring thing that they've all said when I'm like like. Are there barriers for you or like what? Why is there a lot as much diversity in open source from their opinion, and it's always been around like I just started, creating some semblance of generational wealth and I may not always have the time to to like invest in open source. Even though that's what I want? That's it.

B

A

That's absolutely it thanks for being vulnerable and and sharing that yeah.

A

One thing I'm really impressed with is just your engineering skills like you're. Just an intelligent engineer like and I'm I was looking at suborbitals like um repo and it's talking about. They got rust in there we already talked about webassembly gold and all these other languages. I know for me: I tend to go on the safe side. If I see languages, I don't know on the job description I'm like next I'm doing jobs period I'm like go I, don't know about that. One I was right, I'm like react, node, so I'm just curious.

A

Do you have any advice for folks on like joining a com, a company when you're not familiar with the Technologies you're using? How did you get up to speed like? What's the what's the key here? Yes, excellent.

B

Excellent questions, Roselle Okay.

A

B

Always when you start a new code base like it is anxiety producing right.

C

Like you're, like I,.

B

Don't know this language I, don't know this framework I've never worked in it before um and how could I even think to like y'all want me to code in this like y'all tripping right like fire me down like?

B

Oh, this is a bunch of muscle and just like you said as well like we avoid even job listings that lists new Frameworks functionalities um languages that we've never touched before yeah and like the key here is understanding, and this is something that Leon Noel had taught me straight.

A

B

Yes, shout outs, our boy right, the homie, the mentor, um so uh Leon had taught me that, no matter what um technology you uh have right, no matter what um what language you're going to be forced into like you in all of your training, have the ability to learn it right. So it's like we need to understand that, like our company can change the stack today right.

C

B

Not always going to be building in the same Tech stack and it's not about your knowledge like I, could be in expert in rest. I can be an expert in go, but um that's all good and well, but like things, change, right, Technologies and languages update as well. There are new things that come out every day and it's just up to you as a software engineer, to be able to Pivot to be able to adjust and to be able to constantly learn those new technologies right.

B

That's like you know, if you're an engineer 50 years ago, you know that the same languages that you used 50 years ago are not the same languages, so I think that um what I'm giving advice to folk, Court I'm not familiar with the technologies that you're, using like the mentality that we have to ship from, is, instead of being so afraid of it and and running from it. We have to run towards it. Yes,.

A

C

A

That, okay, you always got like good quotes like quotable sayings.

A

No, that's that is so true like that's. Where growth happens, when you go towards the things that may seem a little bit more uncomfortable, but eventually you'll be like oh wait. I like this um I wanna I'll quickly just check the chat just to make sure there's nothing crazy. Well, not crazy! Nothing that I missed.

A

um Let's see, someone said good explanation. People were loving that explanation of yours um appreciate it do you know this question seems a little difficult. Tell me if you're like um ready to answer that or let's see in the process.

B

Okay, so this question here, why would I want to use uh to use, execute I'm sure it's execute anything other than a node process? In my browser you can you can and that's okay right yeah, it's totally about what are you most comfortable with so webassembly allows folk who don't know node right, who don't know JavaScript in order to um in order to create applications, Games Etc so like.

B

If you wrote a uh wrote, a game in unity, for example, now with webassembly, you can compile that code to webassembly and now that that code, that you wrote in your favorite programming, language is able to be run on the browser and that's the that's, the um the advantage of using I.

A

Love that yes, thank you. That was a great way to answer it, because I was like I, don't know, but like yeah, it's just about making it accessible because, let's say you're a python developer gold developer, whatever you want something to be in the browser, you don't know, no makes it easy. That's thank you. Someone said shout out to bostonians.

C

B

Okay, shout out Roxbury, if you're in the house, you already know.

A

um Somebody asks a similar questions, so I'll just say the same thing to that. It's like, if you wanted to execute python in your browser. That's because you wanted. You want to build something in Python, but you want it to be accessible in the browser.

A

um I wonder what do you think about this question they said: does webassembly have the same possibilities that JavaScript has, for example, can operate on the Dom.

B

I would definitely say the webassembly has the same possibilities and really like hot take. Some people are saying that um that webassembly can overtake I'm, not saying that it will happen, but there are some folk who are like JavaScript um I think that webassembly extends the possibilities of.

A

B

A

Like that yeah, it gives it more opportunities. Let's see, if there's anything else, when we say applications, do we mean graphical ones,.

A

Oh and they said or CLI based ones, but yeah I think we're talking about what did you say? I.

C

Said either yeah.

A

Yeah we're talking about either one.

C

A

Will do a pause on the question these questions and go back sorry if you're I.

C

Hope, you're, okay,.

A

People said well said, I think so too, like you, you really hands all these questions so much for bearing with me. No it's amazing like this is. This is really enjoyable conversation, at least for me. um My question now is like let's say: people are like yo suborbital sounds cool we already had. Even people coming into the chat and say suborbital is, is the stuff how many people contribute to suborbital if they wanted to? Yes,.

B

Okay, we're so excited, please, please contribute um suborbital is the ish, um so the way to contribute to suborbital's open source product is by going to suborbital.dev, slash open source. I got you.

A

Putting it on here right now, thank.

B

You thank you thank you, so supportful.dev open source and you'll see one of our best um Open Source, Products that we have here today. So it's the suborbital extension engine, which is specifically running on E2 core, so E2 core is the um uh is the open source product that we have and it's an open source plug-in server that connects with any application to allow our users to execute sandboxed, user-defined plugins. So um I was talking about except webassembly extensibility and you know, taking your favorite application um and you're like ah this.

B

Application would be so incredible if it had this particular feature and if it had this feature, it would make my life as a developer easier, because then I can incorporate it into my application. These very difficult ways right. So the products that we have created allow users to do that. Extensibility work that plug-in work where you can write plugins or functions or code right just code in general. That allows extension of um any particular application.

B

A

So cool I, like that, it's a Sandbox environment, that's right, I, see a great question from Ramon. Yes, he said I hear a lot about Oz. Oh wait. I said he was in my head. It's wasm right was I'm on the browser, but also on the server. What's up with that, yup.

B

Excellent question Ramon, and that is one of the um incredible capabilities of wasm. You can do it both both on the browser and also on the server. So.

C

B

Is also here, Ramon is also a developer. Advocate at self orbital so definitely check out um uh Ramon, but I'm. So appreciative of both this question and making sure that folk know that there's various capabilities for uh wessom. Yes,.

A

A

um We talked about your open source. Do you do you want people to also contribute to that or are you you want to work on it first and then we'll we'll amplify it later? Yes,.

B

So I'm working on it right now, I just want to make sure that it is ready for contributions, um so I'm doing a little bit of refactoring, for example. um Right now, but look out in the next I would say in the next month. For uh because you know, honey mama got to pay some bills. Mom I gotta work full time.

B

I'll see you guys in the next month for some um information on how to contribute to communal, because I really think it's a really useful right. It's a really useful application um and it's like I, said growing up in poverty, myself, I've I've always had to normalize not having access to both opportunities. Resources, Etc and I want this to be um uh be a common denominator where we can start having access to those things. Yes,.

A

Whenever it's ready, let me know and I will amplify it on GitHub, because I do think um in the tech industry. We do build a lot of solutions to things, but they're always like more on the technical side or maybe for people with more money. We should start prioritizing like social impact. Thank you come on. We not. We have all this power and we're like what about a place, that we store files and we're like we've done that already. What about something else? Thank.

B

You please and thank you, let's think more about social impact and Tech and how those can intersect more closely.

A

Yes, yeah Mom. Let me see.

A

We kind of answered some of these questions already. Okay, actually so here's one we didn't answer yeah, it's like I, guess: okay, we talked about maybe the the financial barriers around navigating open source as like a black person, I'm wondering if, like as a black woman or a black non-binary person, are there any additional challenges? Maybe not I I'm. Just curious from your perspective.

B

Yeah um I think I think the the challenges that exist while um being a black person, black non-binary black woman um within open source, is probably exacerbated or or just another level of being a black person within the tech industry. Yeah right so yeah both of us no right um very well.

B

The difficulties of existing within this field um within a very male CIS, hat male um uh dominated field as well, um and then thinking about access right um and um privilege um when it comes to being able to dedicate your time to open source and also not be funded um and how those privileges might be, um how the difficulties might be exacerbated um uh given when you also um navigate or when you also operate at very particular identities within identities, as well.

B

um So yeah, like all of that impacts being a black non-binary person or black woman within the open source field, so difficult. But we still here.

A

But you're right like Tech, it's already an issue and then we're out even smaller bubble within text, so you could feel the effects or the impact even more I think that's it. What.

C

A

On the positive side, what's been like most rewarding part of being a maintainer and core contributor within suborbital, yes,.

B

Yes, yes, yes, yes, so some of the most rewarding um uh um uh the most rewarding parts of being a open source maintainer with suborbital, has been like um working with contributors to make their first pull requests and when I say that I'm, not just like oh yeah, you made a pull request, but, like doing so is confidence boosting for folk right like yes, it is that's, really Monumental and really really important right so folk who have not contributed to open source before folk who have not coded right in many ways before they're, just making a it's, not even a just they're, making a really important contribution, whether that is a full feature, or that is an edit on a on a um either a make file or a um any file uh right like that.

B

Contribution is necessary right and that going through the process. The software development life cycle right, like the practicing that work right, is really important, especially when you're. Also, if you're looking for jobs right like go contributing to open source is I believe it has a direct correlation to the um the life cycle of building software that you would have at any position as a full-time software engineer, getting paid to do it and not doing open source, but you can also get paid to do open source.

B

So keep that in mind, but um I think that that's one of the most rewarding Parts is that, like um uh folk are able to um folk are able to contribute in ways in which they've never been able to before and like now, they have something tangible that they can point to when, for example, they're looking at employers who are saying hmm like okay, you say you're a software engineer. But what have you done? You're like? Actually, my code is in production right now for this open source project, and that is really incredible.

A

Yes, no I think that's such a good point, my first contribution to open source. My my confidence, skyrocketed like At first I, was scared of it. I was like what is this I don't know, but like it did Skyrocket and then like being able to I, think being able to say, like oh I've, contributed to suborbital I've, contributed and stuff like that, can hold more weight, even more, even more weight than just being like. Oh, this is my personal project, which that's cool too, but you're like no like people are using this.

B

And what we also forget is that many times for really like for these big companies, a lot of these big companies also depend on that open source product right, and so we understand so when we put that into context. We're realizing actually like my contribution is Monumental, because it's holding up this big this company right and that's that's huge.

A

That is bragging rights. The it is, you could be like I contributed to es lint, and this company uses es lens.

B

Thank you. Your infrastructure is built upon eslint right focus.

A

On something that you did the contribution you did but you're right, that is a really rewarding part of of being an open source and I. Think I love, I, love being at GitHub because then I can get to like introduce people to it more. um Let's see, there's a few comments, some positive comments from David West that says thanks. Oh this sorry wow I can't read. This is.

C

This is such an a very enlightening session and I appreciate the honesty and willingness to share thanks. So.

A

Much for this um Ramon said love this answer. Big companies are running your code, amazing.

C

A

I love that perspective I wasn't even thinking of it. That way. um Someone I think this is an interesting question. They're essentially asking like how would they get involved in webassembly, I? Think.

B

A

How would they get started with doing anything around that? Do you have any ideas, yeah.

B

So there's lots of different um if you're specifically, it depends on like what kind of um either project you're looking to get involved in or like whether you're, just like I, want to get started in webassembly in general, um but uh I. Oh I, I think that it's it couldn't. It can be easier. Sorry for the stuttering. It can be easier to contribute to a particular project that uses webassembly to get you introduced to the ecosystem, to get you introduced to, like um the various impacts on performance that it could have on your code.

B

um uh So if you are interested in in um getting started, I would definitely advise in starting on a project that uses um webassembly just like E2 core for suborbitals one, for example, but there's lots of others as well, um and if you're looking to get started in webassembly in general, there's like entire communities that can introduce you to that um so um webassembly North America, for example, is one of the communities that suborbital is a part of and runs, um and so that's a both a hybrid it's online and in person they host events that introduce folk to the web assembly, um webassembly ecosystem and and introdu.

B

It also allows you to build connections of folk who are also interested in.

C

Learning about.

B

Webassembly or are currently the Front Runners of um either CEOs of companies or um just the the folk who are building the products that allow webassembly to flourish. So there are lots of different communities that you can join if you're interested in learning more about webassembly and also various different projects that you can join as well.

A

Great answer off the top of your head wow, you feel like amazing, yes, I, agree with you like. Let's say you wanted to get involved in react, use a project, that's using react first and then be like okay. I can contribute. Also your answer to the communities, reminding me of um I. Think I forget your CEO's name or CTO, but.

B

Because either Connor Connor Hicks is our CEO. Okay, it was.

A

Connor yeah he I had um interviewed him on a Twitter space, a while back and I. Remember him mentioning wasm.builders as like um a place where people blog and a community where people like blog about wasm and their learnings. That might also be another opportunity for for folks to learn. That's perfect cool awesome! Let me go back to this.

A

um We can transition. Oh actually I, want to know about your thoughts on building Community like why the community, what's the value in in community building, um for you, oh wait! Okay! So yes.

B

This is a loaded question um because, like I have a very interesting history with community building and it's not always Tech specific and Tech related right.

B

So um my own history, introductory with Community Building, started off fighting for the rights of Black Folk right and black students, in particular at my University, um and um uh it involved like ensuring that our University both saw us as Equitable members of the community of saw that we, you know that we deserve to be treated equally, uh which was a difficulty at one point um just to you know, touch upon a deeper Iceberg of the issue, um but um community building for me is imperative right because it's like it, um it allows movements to move right.

B

It allows movements to move it's like if you have a a particular need, or a particular passion, or um something that is um centered around, that Community right like that is what everyone coming together around, that particular need issue, or what have you um and um fostering community and ensuring that all of our members, all the members of the community, um whether they identify as a member of that Community or.

C

B

Are being seen heard and given opportunities and resources to flourish so like Community, Building Community is vital to any product or even any tech company, Tech group Tech? What have you right? Because we don't have? We don't have a product if we don't have a community centered around your product, yeah Point Blank period? Isn't it there's no one's building with it? Thank you right, GitHub would not exist if it wasn't for the community around GitHub right like and that's really really powerful right.

B

So I think that that's the value of community community allows um some of our most incredible um uh uh centers of thought or um our most incredible, like ideas to come into fruition, and that's purely based on the fact that there is a community that has contributed to that idea or said that we're going to push this idea forward because we believe in it so much yes,.

A

That's that was a great answer: I love that no and- and that's so true like it doesn't have to be just Tech but like some things won't be successful if it wasn't for the community. So yes.

B

Throughout the world, throughout life, throughout America, absolutely yeah.

A

I really can't wait for for your communal project or any other project that you would have coming up. I'm excited for you thank.

C

A

We're gonna, okay, so I'll quickly, I I've, seen um like ask this question a million times, and maybe he didn't uh hear our question or they didn't hear our question earlier or our answer so just gonna repeat it I think you essentially said that webassembly expands the opportunities for JavaScript, absolutely yeah, so just repeating that and if and no folks were asking for Naya to repeat their their um journey and stuff like that. But if you want y'all, this is going to be on YouTube go re-watch.

A

It it'll be on Twitch for seven days and it'll be on YouTube for forever, so go re-watch it.

A

um This whole conversation was packed with like lots of great um lots of great knowledgeable, like bits, um we're gonna transition into like some like non-technical. Just like fun questions and the first one is what was the first programming language. You ever learned.

B

Okay, so perfect, um um some some folk will say uh well, the first anything that I learned was HTML, but that's a markup language now programming language that I learned was JavaScript.

A

Nice yeah I never know which one to pick because I'm like I learned SQL but technically that's a structured query, language HTML, but it's markup language, so yeah I just begin to to thinking too much about it all right. If money wasn't an issue, how would you ideally spend your time like job-wise or not job-wise like what would you just want to be doing.

B

Yeah, okay: if money wasn't an issue, let's see, if money wasn't an issue. Okay, so I'll ask I'll, answer job wise and then I'll answer non-job wise. So if money wasn't an issue, I would be.

B

What is if money wasn't an issue? um How would you ideally spend your time? I would spend my time helping others get the confidence to understand that they deserve to be in this space right, specifically Tech um and helping them both navigate their experiences within Tech um and helping them be successful within Tech.

B

Whether that looks like reviewing code, um whether that looks like advocating for the use of accessible and free software, um or uh whether that that um looks like um Helping Seniors, which is what I love to do, um learn to be technically illiterate because honey when I'm holding up the a mirror to my 80 86 year old grandpa, because he muted his computer by mistake and trying to trying to see because he doesn't know how to screen share. So he has a mirror and I'm trying to read things backwards. Oh my.

A

God you have so much patience, I like I, don't I can't help my mom with her her technical problems anymore. Like are you still working on the T support at a company that had a lot of like more senior people yeah and like when I would come home and she'd be like hey I, don't know how to do this I'm, like no I, can't like I'm sorry.

B

It is, it requires an amount of patience that I think very few of us have, but like it's, it's really important that they're. You know that they're able to um that. We I think that Tech in in many ways like just in some ways, forgets about our seniors right forgets about people who don't have um easy Mobility or um who don't um can't.

B

You know who have maybe low vision, for example, um so accessibility and accessibility to um uh to to underserved folk is what I would be doing a thousand percent of the time, whether that's through communal or whether that's through um loving techco, which is the little um organization that I do for seniors. It could be anything I.

A

Love that no I I you're, just such a great person.

A

Like you're, like I'm gonna help them I'm gonna I recognize that it they do need it.

A

You know I love like running away, but I do like um the experimental feature that GitHub has hey get up. For that reason, or you can like speak and then the code types out for you because I'm like that makes so much sense for people who like they they can't. They don't have that mobility in their hands or their arms, or they may not have like the vision. So I love that that's incredible. Someone said family tech support the one job you can never quit. That's.

B

Right ever you're in that for.

A

Life, honey, oh and then someone said they're really starting to work on building their patients, um and they said I'm really happy to see how much effort is spent in building communities. Thank you for making Tech reach more people. That would benefit from it. That's awesome thanks, yeah, all right, so I'm thinking. Maybe your answer to this is communal, but I'm just curious. What's a dream, open source project that you would like to create one day, if you had the time.

B

No hear me out: everybody hear me out: okay, guess what it's communal, all right, get ready! Okay,.

B

No like that I'm I'm, thrilled and I'm so excited to present it to you all. In a few weeks, I'm gonna say a few weeks, rather than a month in a few weeks, okay um I think you're going to be really excited and I'm I'm really grateful for any um any contributions any help um in building out this application, because it's not about me right who am I right.

B

It's about the product, it's about what we're building, how we're going to be helping people with the product that we're building um and I'm just grateful to um both GitHub and the entire open source Community as well, um and everyone who who's interested in and possibly lending ahead, even if it's doing just a little edit to some to some um uh to some copy. For example, the wording of the application or anything like that. I'd really appreciate it and I know that the community, once it's out there and being used.

A

Even if it's in you don't have to say a few weeks, even if it's in six months, I will be there to promote it and support it right. Thank you all right. If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be.

B

Who honey? Yes, it's an addiction, I ain't, even gonna lie I'm addicted! So there's this um food called Mr Watts and then we have and some buses, okay. So it's Ethiopian food, um vegetarian, Ethiopian, food, lentil based.

A

Say it again: you're an Ethiopian, no baby I'm, not.

B

I'm from Atlanta.

B

I'm like um Ethiopian food for days, okay I need to try that.

B

A

We're gonna go. It sounds good all right. How do you pronounce GIF? Do you say Jeff or GIF, or do you not care? It's a Kipper visit chip, all right, um GIF, okay, nice last question: what is your favorite Beyonce song.

B

Okay, Beyonce the Queen, the legend, the goat, my favorite Beyonce song- would have to be this song called bigger. Okay, if you haven't heard bigger, hear the first lyrics, um if you feel insignificant, you better think again right you better wake up because you're part of something way, bigger, you're part of something way: bigger you're, not just a speck in the universe, you're, not just some words in a Bible verse. You are the Living Word.

A

Yes, what okay I can't believe? Okay, y'all I just want to say to the chat, I sent nine of these questions like one hour before.

A

Somehow, all of your answers are so good, even the ones that we just like randomly threw to you in the chat like it seems like you thought out. All of this, like I'm impressed, always always become friends. Yes, I love that thank you. That was like the best answer to what's your favorite Beyonce song.

A

All right, well, I, think like we're we're basically at the end, this was a really great conversation. Is there anything you want people to? Do you want people to follow you on a certain Twitter um profile or LinkedIn or whatever like yeah? Where should people.

B

Yes, everyone, so if you are interested in either learning more about my journey or I'm following the Journey of communal or the Journey of um teaching seniors to uh to use technology which requires so much patience, but it's love right. It's love! That's why I call it loving tech company, loving techco!

B

um uh If you are interested in any of those things um or just like you, are ready to fight the good fight and making sure that folk have access um to Tech in various and um really robust ways. Then please feel free to follow me. um I am on Twitter at 9. Macklindev um I also write various articles on hash no code. At the same, the same link, Nia Macklin Dev. You can find me on almost everything at night, Macklin, Dev and I'm. Looking forward to also doing twitch streams, like my good sister.

B

So you'll see me there, um but yes, I I, just wanted to say like I'm, so so so so grateful right. Grateful for the opportunity to be here grateful for the opportunity to speak to Brazil my good good, good, good sis, um I'm grateful to GitHub for hosting open source Friday and specifically um talking to Black open source maintainers. Thank you to the incredible worker for sale for that. So.

C

B

Appreciate y'all for coming so much um um I'm, I'm thrilled to be in community with y'all I'm thrilled to be in this fight with y'all, like I'm I'm, really grateful so excited to to continue in this work and uh follow me if you want to learn more.

A

Awesome yes, follow Naya y'all and thank you so much for coming on and I was completely disorganized with this, but I really appreciate it. One of my favorite streams um and thanks to the to the people in the comments as well, thanks for supporting and and being engaged I, always loved that um all right, bye, y'all see y'all soon.

B

B