Introduction
Hello from Donghyeok Kim, Jina Kim, and Seoyeon Lee. We are in charge of open source management at LINE and are currently working in the Developer Relations team and the Open Source Program Office TF to bring LINE's development culture closer to the open source development culture.
In 2021, we introduced the LINE Open Source Sprint event in the article below. In this post, we'll share the process and results of LINE Open Source Sprint 2023.
What was the event about?
The LINE Open Source Sprint is a unique event that aims to connect LINE with the open source ecosystem. During the month-long event, participants get to focus on contributing to open-source projects while meeting and interacting with colleagues they may not otherwise have had contact with. The event allows LINE developers to get first-hand experience of an environment where they can grow together and start networking with the open source community.
LINE Open Source Sprint 2023 was organized as follows.
- Project recruitment: 1 week
- Issue preparation: 1 week
- Participant recruitment: 1 week
- Development and contribution: 4 weeks
- Finalization and awards ceremony: 1 day
We accepted applications through a variety of channels to ensure that as many people as possible were able to participate. We calculated the maximum number of participants so that the mentors who would be leading the projects could work around their daily jobs and no one would be left behind or neglected. Here is a list of the projects that participated in the event and the number of participants.
| Total | 11 | 48 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Projects | URL | Mentors | Members | |
| LINE open-source projects | Armeria | https://github.com/line/armeria | 4 | 18 |
| Central Dogma | https://github.com/line/centraldogma https://github.com/line/centraldogma-go https://github.com/line/centraldogma-python https://github.com/line/centraldogma-rs |
5 | ||
| Decaton | https://github.com/line/decaton | 2 | 2 | |
| Other open-source projects | CPython | https://github.com/python/cpython | 1 | 6 |
| RustPython | https://github.com/RustPython/RustPython | 1 | 5 | |
| Node.js projects | https://github.com/nodejs | 1 | 5 | |
| MDN Translated-contents | https://github.com/mdn/translated-content | 1 | 3 | |
| Zeppelin | https://github.com/apache/zeppelin | 1 | 4 | |
The event brought together a diverse group of developers from our global offices. Here's a breakdown of the number of participants from each country.
| Korea | Japan | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | 13 | 12 |
Differences from past events
After our last event, we had the opportunity to hear a lot of great feedback, and we've taken it to heart and made several improvements for this event.
Creating an event brand logo
For this event, we worked with a designer to create our own LINE Open Source Sprint logo. We used the logo to create promotional materials and participation souvenirs for the event. The logo depicts icons that should be familiar to any developer that uses GitHub; the green dot in particular depicts the contribution graph on GitHub.
We also created commemorative coasters and stickers to give away, hoping that physical memorabilia would help participants remember the event and feel proud of their participation.
Rule change 1: Allowing third-party open-source project participation
For this event, we decided to create an opportunity to contribute not only to LINE's open-source projects, but also to third-party open-source projects. To this end, we were able to recruit maintainers for a total of five open-source projects by gathering people who are involved in third-party open-source project operations. Through this effort, we aimed to make the following changes to LINE's developer culture.
- I understand that I can work on open-source contributions at work, even if it's not a project maintained by the company
- I recognize that working on open-source contributions during work is necessary
- The open-source project community recognizes LINE as a company with an open-source-friendly development culture
We'll continue to create opportunities to contribute to third-party open-source projects at our next event, so stay tuned. If you're an open source community interested in participating, please reach out to us(dl_ospo@linecorp.com).
Rule change 2: Introducing credits and awards
At our last event, we honored the participating MVPs of each open-source project with a small prize. The mentors who led the projects told us that they wanted to make sure that participants who weren't selected as MVPs could see the value of their contributions. After much consideration, we decided to award credits for each open-source project contribution so that participants could see the difference they're making represented in numbers. We distributed the credits as follows
| Activity | Credits |
|---|---|
| Opening a PR (pull request) | 3 |
| Merging a PR | 10, 7, or 5 depending on the difficulty |
| Reviewing someone else's PR | 2 |
| Registering a new issue | 1 |
| Becoming an MVP selected by the project mentor | 10 |
At the end of the event, we reviewed each other's activity and awarded prizes to the five people who earned the most credits. Everyone who participated gave each other a round of applause at the awards ceremony.
Creating a virtual space
For this event, we created a space inside ZEP, an open metaverse optimized for remote communication.
Since it was a virtual event, we prioritized communication and wanted to create a space where we could bond as a team. We used free templates and objects that we could customize to create the space we wanted. We divided the space into two main areas: an office area to focus on work and a chill out area for socializing and relaxing.
We organized our office space into two parts: a private area to focus on contributions, and a gathering area where we could look at code together, ask questions, and solve problems. We set up an office space for each project, so that team members could simply walk in at the scheduled meeting time and meet up with each other. We also utilized video conferencing and screen sharing, which allowed us to ask questions in real time.
We also set up a small loft space and a walking area for people to take a break from their work, which can be tiring and distracting. We wanted to create a fun space where team members could play mini-games to get closer to each other, as good communication is key to good socialization.
When the event started, I felt a surge of pride as I watched the teams walk into their offices and sit down to discuss. At first, they were confused by the unfamiliar surroundings and controls, but it was a relief to see them quickly adjust and utilize the screen sharing and video chat features freely. The chat phrases and reactions provided by ZEP, which appeared in real-time above avatars' heads, added a touch of cuteness to the gathered space and softened the overall atmosphere.
Sharing the results
Thanks to the enthusiastic participants who worked day and night for almost a month, we were able to accomplish the following.
The 48 participants submitted a total of 96 PRs, and by the end of the event, 65 PRs were merged!
It was great to see four weeks of hard work pay off in tangible results, and the organizers on the sidelines were overwhelmed with pride as they watched the numbers rise over time. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their hard work, enthusiasm, and participation, as the results far exceeded our expectations.
Sharing survey results
We also got some great feedback from our post-event survey. Below are the results of the post-event survey with the top 3 responses for each question.
| Satisfaction | What was satisfactory | What was unsatisfactory | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very satisfied | 76.9% | Got to know my colleagues better | 53.8% | Many tasks took much more time than expected | 15.4% |
| Satisfied | 15.4% | Being able to participate during office hours | 50.0% | Language barrier | 11.5% |
| Neutral | 7.7% | Meeting global colleagues | 46.2% | Wasn't able to get to know colleagues better | 7.7% |
The highest percentage of respondents said they were satisfied because they were able to get to know their local colleagues, and they were also satisfied because they were able to meet global colleagues. On the other hand, a relatively high percentage of respondents said they were disappointed that they were not able to get to know other colleagues, indicating that meeting and interacting with colleagues was a big part of their satisfaction. Many respondents said they were happy that they were able to participate during business hours, but they were also disappointed that many tasks took longer than expected.
When asked if they would continue to contribute to open source after the event, many of them said that they would continue to contribute, which confirms that the sprint event was a good first step towards open source contributions.
| Willingness to contribute to open-source projects | |
|---|---|
| I will continue to contribute to the open-source project I worked on during this sprint. | 50% |
| I will look for other open-source projects to work on. | 45% |
In addition, many participants expressed their desire to participate in the next LINE Open Source Sprint, which made us even more proud and satisfied.
Below are some of the comments and other feedback we received about the LINE Open Source Sprint 2023 event.
- Contributing to translations made it even more meaningful and fun as I was able to focus on different documents. I hope to continue contributing after the event.
- It was difficult to finish PRs, but it was a great opportunity to grow through open source. I would like to continue to contribute more in the future.
- This was my second time participating in the LINE Open Source Sprint, and I would like to thank the organizers for providing this opportunity and continue to contribute.
- This was the second time I've participated after last year, and I always seem to learn, grow, and gain more than what I give by contributing. I am grateful that you continue to provide this opportunity.
- This was my first time contributing to an open-source project, and I could not have done it without the help of so many people. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to open source.
- Thank you to the staff for organizing such a great event.
- It was a great opportunity for me to contribute to open source, which I would not have been able to do on my own.
- I would like to see such an event in Japan.
- I was disappointed that the event coincided with my company's annual peer review period.
- I wish there were more pre-selected issues.
On the last day of the event, we also had the opportunity to hear from our mentors. Here's what they had to say.
- Thank you for organizing a fun event about open source.
- Thank you for organizing such a fun event. I think it was one of the best experiences I've ever had at an open source event.
- It must have been a challenging project, but I'm glad my mentees stuck with it.
- Thank you for organizing such a meaningful event. I don't often have time to be active in open source, so this event was a great way to utilize my work time. The members have done more than I could have imagined, and I hope this event will be the first step for them to get involved in open source.
The only regret I have is that I wasn't able to award my mentees because the amount of credits earned was based on the difficulty of the project. - Our mentees have invested more time contributing to projects during the event than your usual contributor. As a mentor, I was grateful that they spent more time than I expected, and it was nice to feel their desire to contribute even though the project was not easy.
Thoughts from the event organizers
We were busy organizing the event in addition to our normal work, but we had a great month with many opinions about LINE's open source efforts that we don't get to hear in our day-to-day work and the energy of the participants made us forget about the fatigue from our busy days. Here's what they had to say about the event.
Seoyeon Lee
The most meaningful part of this event was that we were able to work together not only on LINE's open source, but also on third-party open-source projects. At LINE, we don't require any prior permission to contribute to open source during the workday to make it easier to contribute even in a busy work environment. On the other hand, it's sometimes difficult to keep track of who is contributing to which open-source project at LINE. It was very interesting to meet open-source project maintainers from various fields and learn about their unique stories of becoming a maintainer. I think we should try to create a closer relationship with these open-source projects in the future.
The fact that we had three people on the organizing staff allowed us to try different things. Since I don't usually specialize in event management, I didn't have much experience in organizing events, and this time I was able to add my experience to the efforts of the other organizing staff members to make the event even better. People tend to get exhausted by the workload by the midpoint of each event, and I was worried that the intention of creating a good experience to contribute to open source might lead to burnout. This time, thanks to the efforts of the organizers, I was able to encourage them to refocus by handing them a participation souvenir at the end of the event.
Organizing and running an event is no easy task, but being able to see and feel the fruits of so many people's labor is what keeps me going. It was great to meet all of you this year, and I look forward to organizing next year's event!
Donghyeok Kim
It was a new and unique experience for me to participate in the LINE Open Source Sprint 2023 event as a member of the event organizing staff, as I was mainly involved in open source compliance. The survey results showed that most of the participants were satisfied with the event and gave feedback that they would continue to contribute to open source after the event. I think the event achieved what the open source team was striving for: creating a culture where LINE developers can grow, and laying a small foundation for LINE to contribute to the open source ecosystem.
For me, running an event was a new experience, and I didn't know much about open source contribution, so LINE Open Source Sprint 2023 was a special experience that I personally learned a lot from. I'm looking forward to preparing for the (Hopefully) next LINE Open Source Sprint 2024 event based on this experience.
Jina Kim
It was my first open source event since joining LINE, and I think I'll remember it for a long time to come. I participated in the planning and preparation phase with a lot of excitement, and after the event started, I was able to finish with a sense of pride, thanks to all the participants who participated day and night.
It was very meaningful for me to be part of the process of transforming an empty space into a gathering place. I could see the participants' passion for work and growth as they put in a lot of time and effort to complete a single task despite their busy schedules. I could feel it in my bones that we can achieve better things when we are together than when we are alone, and I left the event with a sense of satisfaction that I was getting more out of it.
Closing words
This concludes our review of LINE Open Source Sprint 2023. If you are a member of an open source community interested in attending the event, please contact dl_ospo@linecorp.com. We look forward to organizing another great event next year!