Committers and Contributors

What is a committer, and how does that differ from a contributor?

The Opencast project welcomes all those who are interested in contributing in concrete ways. Contributions can take many forms, and there are various mechanisms by which one can contribute (signing up for the mailing list or browsing our issue tracker are both great places to start). Anyone can become a contributor, and there is no expectation of future commitment to the project, no specific skill requirements, and no selection process. Some of the contributions individuals have given in the past include:

As contributors gain experience and familiarity with the project they generally find that making such contributions becomes easier. With a sufficient level of participation and commitment to the project, contributors may be nominated by existing committers to join the committer body. While similar in day-to-day activities as contributors, committers have shown a dedicated interest in supporting the project over the longer term. Committership allows individuals to more easily carry on with their project related activities by giving them direct access to the projects resources. In Opencast, the project's resources include not only code, but also designs, documents, and other non-code resources. As such, we welcome and value committers both in the traditional sense (e.g. programmers) as well as in the broader sense (e.g. people who are committed to the project).

The committer body is the group of individuals who drive, manage, and govern the product. They make releases, set policy, and determine the both the quality and feature-set of Opencast.

Responsibilities of a Committer

Committers responsibilities are centered around two key principles, that there is a commitment to excellence and success, and that there is a commitment to being active and involved. These commitments are demonstrated through activities such as:

All committers must have a signed ICLA on file with Apereo. If you make contributions on behalf of your employer, he should also sign a CCLA.

How do I become a committer?

Committers must be recommended by existing committers and pass a vote of the committer body. Committers proposing a contributor for commit rights should present a solid background of why this person would be a good fit, as well as their work history within the project. This history, baring special circumstances, should be significant and of a high quality.

What happens if I stop contributing?

Committer status can be lost through any of the methods below:

List of Committers

The current list of committers in aplhabetical order: