Today’s interview is from Seif Lotfy, one of the new GNOME Foundation board members.
Where do you live/work?
Darmstadt, 30km south of Frankfurt Germany.
Why is open source/free software important to you?
I believe open source/free software promotes innovation, due to its nature of crowd sourcing.
How/when/why did you become involved in GNOME?
I started using GNOME in 2004. I had SUSE installed at that point. Later I switched to Ubuntu. I got involved trying to fix a bug in Gimmie that was keeping me away from using it. So I sat down and looked at the python code which seemed to me like pseudo code. 3 weeks later (after learning python) I had my first patch and Alex Graveley motivated me to fix more issues.
Why did you run for the GNOME Foundation Board?
I wanted to contribute to GNOME in more ways then just code, as well as push for more visibility of the board in the community.
What do you hope to accomplish during your term on the board?
I hope to improve and find ways to make GNOME more interesting for its current (as well as potential future) sponsors. Also I am looking forward to developing initiatives to improve the communication within the community
Do you think GNOME is heading in the right direction? Why or why not?
While I think the direction (GNOME OS) is very noble, I fear that maybe it was not thought out properly. I hope to be able to assess the long and short term implications with the rest of the board this year.
Have you attended GUADEC in the past? If so, when/where?
My first GUADEC was during Desktop Summit 2009 in Gran Canaria, it was really exciting. I have been to every following GUADEC (Desktop Summit) ever since.
What are you looking forward to most at GUADEC?
Meeting up with fellow developers that I communicate mostly online. Also enjoy outings after the hackfests.
Any other thoughts on GUADEC and/or GNOME?
GUADEC has always been awesome, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon. And there wouldn’t be GUADEC without GNOME.