We have taken every step of the way will leave a mark, the more solid and more clear.
Recently, Apache Software Foundation (ASF) Official Blog announced the addition of 40 Apache Member globe, Zhang Xing almost the honor of being one of them.
Currently, there are 771 ASF Member, China is only 13. This article will share the revenue base of from 0 white, feeling along the way, we hope to share out experiences during, so that more people see Chinese power in the world of open source arena. As long as there continue to pay, there will always be harvested.
For the first time to participate in open source
In 2014, I joined Alibaba middleware team, began to take over maintenance work group application container. At that time the vast majority of the Group's container applications are based on JBoss, old and unmaintained, and another run on a small part of the Jetty and Tomcat, then the middleware team maintains a private branch Tomcat, the biggest goal is to unify All the Group's application container is Tomcat. Before that, I never touched Tomcat development and operation and maintenance, for me, a great challenge. However, the greater challenge comes from a large team leader proposed at the time seems almost unreachable goals: to become a committer Apache Tomcat.
You know, one of the core projects as Apache, Tomcat since 1999 published the first edition, and has been the open session of the stars of the Apache Foundation project, still in use to maintain market share in container fields first, after 20 years of development , still alive. Tomcat After so many years of development, has never been a committer from China. And our small team of only four people, do not have any experience in open source, but also do not know where to start. Team leader asked us, who are willing to challenge, I did not think about, you bear down.
So, I began my journey of open-source Apache.
To be honest, at first, he did not have too many ideas, so start browsing again Tomcat's official website, I want to be able to query some useful information. All Apache projects almost every new user guide that explains how to participate in this open-source project which, Tomcat is no exception. Soon, I began to repair the bug, the first is a patch to fix a problem Websocket test failed, fix the problem involves the reconstruction of some of the code.
I remember that time very carefully before submitting, and leader repeatedly discussed together many times, and finally the formation of a more satisfactory solution. After submitting to the Tomcat community, and soon, there will be a community response, and merge the patch I submitted. ** The first submission will get recognized, I was very happy, but also eased the tension. Tomcat see the release note which appeared in his name, really happy.
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Apache Roadshow China
October 2015, I was fortunate in Beijing to attend the activities of the Apache Roadshow China, regarded as the first and the Apache Foundation has close contact. At the meeting, witnessed when he was Chairman of the Apache Foundation's Brett Porter, vice president of the Apache Foundation Niclas Hedhman and other large cattle speeches, as well as the Panel Disussion inside, and they, as well as several members of the Apache from China, together explore community-led development processes.
At that time I feel that they seem to be very far away from them.
By 2015, when the country involved in the Apache community of almost all Chinese working in foreign companies. Now look at the extent of domestic companies involved in open source has been significantly improved. The participation of China road show, honor and Niclas heldman do some exchanges, I asked him a question:
"I'm involved in Tomcat community, how to become a committer?"
He gave me some day I still very far-reaching impact on the advice: to participate in community discussions, starting from simple novice task, fix bug, as well as participation in release vote. So many years have passed, these recommendations still apply.
Tomcat Committer
After tasted the sweetness of the contribution of the team's goals have also been adjusted. Tomcat open source version and build structures should be kept exactly the same:
The combined open source Apache Tomcat makes it very easy;
Interior enhancements also make it easier to merge the community.
Follow-up to community contributions, mainly from three aspects:
First: Ali internal use Tomcat, the problems encountered in large-scale, high concurrency scenarios repair.
More typical was the wireless gateway application uses a Tomcat NIO + AsyncServlet architecture as an entry application, once because Tomcat exception occurred a relatively large fault in a highly concurrent, and later to troubleshoot this problem spend a lot of energy eventually completely fix the problem. Details of the investigation process is recorded in "upstream - Alibaba technology growth path," a book of "flash floods, high flow trigger Tomcat bug caused the collapse of the cluster." Rehabilitation program to be submitted with the Tomcat community, although small amount of change, but the combination of quite a lot of team effort.
Second, Tomcat problem encountered in a large area spread Ali repair.
For example, we found that some do not meet the Servlet specification of behavior, including doing some optimization, parallel class loading, and so when dealing with dual XI.
Third, actively participate in the open source community, there has been a number of fixes for the problem.
After a year of continued investment contribution, August 23, 2016, in a usual weekday morning, I opened the mailbox and see a letter from the core development community Tomcat, Java Specification members of the Group EE, when he was Apache Foundation Mark Thomas of letters from members of the Board of Directors, invited me to become Tomcat Committer. Open the message that moment, I felt my heart was trembling, not their own bit of excitement. That it did beyond their expectations, did not expect the arrival of that day was a dream.
Tomcat PMC Member
After becoming Committer, with direct commit access code, in fact, mean greater responsibility.
That year, Tomcat Ali has become the standard application inside the container, the size of the cluster on a global scale are leading. And I did not stop participating in community contributions until 2017, ApacheCon North America Conference to be held in May in Miami, received a Call for participation messages, I suddenly sprouted an idea:
Why not challenge Alibaba encountered in large-scale high-concurrency, sharing in ApacheCon conference then?
The annual ApacheCon, the basic will be open exclusively for the Tomcat "TomcatCon." Never before sharing the conference experience abroad, do not know whether the acceptance of the General Assembly, I harbored feelings of apprehension submitted proposals, nor hold too much confidence. Until March of that year, I received an email informing me of ApacheCon Assembly proposal was accepted, the kind of feeling is really great to be recognized.
In the General Assembly in May, I had the opportunity to see a group of developers often exchange inside the community but did not meet the elements, such as from the United Kingdom Mark Thomas, Christopher Schultz from the United States, from France's Jean-Frederic Clere and so on, they are Tomcat is the leading experts in the community, some even more than 10 years has been involved in community contribution Tomcat.
Before e-mail and discussion from the question very frank, even harsh impression is different, they are very kind, speech that day at present to support me in silence, speech was very successful, let the world see a China business in contribution Tomcat community efforts, I feel very proud.
Dinner speech the next day, the atmosphere is very relaxed, with lightning going on stage speech, Mark took the beer came and I said, I want to invite to become Tomcat PMC Member. God, I did not expect to be able to and the great God who stood in front of the group the same position, so very happy to accept.
Become attached to Dubbo
2017, Ali restart the open-source maintenance Dubbo, while the team just took on this important mission.
Dubbo After stopping more, many users can only select communities fork branch, self-maintenance. After the restart maintenance issues to think about is, the community will have similar concerns. Therefore, the team decided to Dubbo donated to the Apache Software Foundation, hope that through "community is greater than the code," "open and transparent", "consensus decision-making" and other Apache Road, to dispel the concerns of developers.
There have been a few years' experience in the Apache community, I naturally assume help Dubbo into the Apache Incubator Foundation work, contact the teacher to modify the proposal, finally, through a community vote Dubbo Apache Incubator, started to hatch. It was New Year's Eve 2017, I was sitting at home in front of the computer, sending out the message that moment the official voting results, I think, this is bound to be a memorable day.
In the Apache incubator hatching, like a prodigal son rampage after many years in the political arena, suddenly I want to stop and start to study, naturally sequential many rules, there will be a lot of conflict on the mentality and cultural awareness. ** I started thinking about how we can help Dubbo better practice Apache Road, and there are a lot of things to do.
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Dubbo and various other items point is, Dubbo Prior to joining Apache, already a giant-level project, and thousands of star, large community, is a large-scale domestic use of mail a day of community activity sent it will allow instructors feel at a loss, simply no way to read.
How can this giant Apache follow the road to development, it has become a big challenge.
There is a very vivid example, I was concerned about the community: "to discuss issues that should be on the mailing list or carried out on Github issue?"
Dubbo users already accustomed to discussions on Github issue, but one of the mentors Mark has pointed out that the mailing list is still on the planet's most ubiquitous communication tool. Because there are still a number of countries in the world, under certain circumstances, it may speed access to the Internet only a few dozen k / s, or even only dial-up.
If the discussion on Github, for these poor network environment, but people who want to participate in the community is disastrous. Maybe we can give up that part of the user, but this is not Apache values. There are many similar examples, I was a little disappointed they did not put everything down, will attempt to share in another article.
The first release, is a very important milestone in the process of hatching. In my opinion, release of much more than the code-level work, but also includes accurate License and copyright notices, code compliant and dependent, accurate and consistent signature. Dubbo spent a lot of time to prepare, but also the entire process is fully documented, the incubation process, from seven different Release Manger in turn responsible to ensure that different people can complete release.
The incubation process, the clean-up of intellectual property rights is an important part, Apache for trademarks and License, has a near-stringent requirements, every release is going to be carefully examined, the most typical example is github.com/dubbo this group. It seems to us normal, but in the perspective of the Apache Foundation, due to Dubbo trademark has been transferred to the Apache, any third party use would constitute infringement, and therefore not allowed. The final solution is to put all the items under this group emptied part of the migration to Apache, another part of the migration back to the other group.
There are many other issues, such as the development of community PMC member / Committer, hold a compliant Meetup, etc., have the opportunity to share in a separate article.
Become Apache Member
On the eve of Dubbo graduating, suddenly one day, I routinely open mail, suddenly found a letter lying Invitation to join The Apache Software Foundation Membership . My heart burst of surprise, then point to open, I found an invitation to become message Apache Member, which makes me very unexpected.
To tell the truth, I have dreamed of one day becoming the next Apache Member, but did not think this day would come so fast. Apache Member is meant to become one of the 771 members of the Apache, the Apache Foundation has become a shareholder of the law. ** But this does not mean that the contribution of the termination. Like Daguai upgrade, when you pass the current hurdle, you will encounter bigger boss.
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As Apache Member, more is pulled out from a separate project, the focus on horizontal matters foundation level. But I think the biggest significance is that Member'm not alone in this open road, especially from China, there are so many Member, further strengthened the Chinese open source projects can be better represented on the world stage.
After becoming Member, we will pass the Apache Foundation to help more Chinese and open source software developers, and the world a more extensive connection. On the one hand is come in and help expand the influence of the Apache Foundation in China, so that more developers to participate in the world's top open source projects to excellent; the other is to go out and help China open source project into the Apache Foundation hatch, enhance the international influence of Chinese open source software. In fact, the country has a lot of very good open source project, but the lack of a window to show the world, and I hope the Apache Foundation can be used as such a bridge.
Author:
Almost Zhang Xing, community nickname ralf0131, flower prestigious pottery, Apache Member, Apache Dubbo PPMC Member, Apache Tomcat PMCMember, Alibaba technical experts, concerned about the large-scale distributed systems, RPC framework and micro-services sector.