In 2019, DigitalOcean and the open supply neighborhood celebrated the sixth annual Hacktoberfest, an inclusive neighborhood occasion that evokes open supply participation and upkeep. It was an thrilling 12 months with record-breaking numbers of pull requests, contributors, and occasions around the globe. From the beginning, our purpose has at all times been to encourage all forms of folks, from seasoned builders to complete newcomers, to get extra concerned with open supply, all whereas selling DigitalOcean’s longstanding values of simplicity, neighborhood, and love.
We recapped Hacktoberfest 2019 on our weblog, however in honor of the 22nd anniversary of open supply, we determined to dive into the outcomes of our annual participant survey inside the context of our seasonal Currents report on the state of open supply. This 12 months, we revamped the Hacktoberfest survey to raised perceive what it means to the neighborhood, in addition to their involvement with open supply tasks, key motivators for collaborating, and extra. So how did the neighborhood do? Here are some findings.
This 12 months, 41% of contributors mentioned they have been conscious of open supply previous to Hacktoberfest however had by no means contributed to an open supply undertaking earlier than.
We are thrilled to see so many first-time contributors taking this chance to become involved and imagine that is a necessary a part of constructing an accessible open supply neighborhood. When it involves the explanations contributors bought concerned with Hacktoberfest, greater than three-quarters (78%) mentioned they have been motivated by a want to study extra, and practically half (46%) mentioned they attended to have enjoyable.
These two high motivators align with findings from our latest seasonal Currents report on the state of open supply: 60% of Currents respondents cited the will to study new abilities and delight as their high causes for contributing to open supply tasks. This highlights how Hacktoberfest creates alternatives for contributors to guide the expansion of the open supply motion whereas strengthening the neighborhood at giant.
Building the inclusive way forward for open supply
Because 46% of contributors heard about Hacktoberfest from a pal or colleague, we credit score a lot of our development to phrase of mouth and the advantages of a self-sustaining neighborhood.
We are additionally impressed by the combination of scholars and software program builders around the globe who take part every year. While a majority of this 12 months’s Hacktoberfest contributors are working software program builders (53%), 50% are college students seeking to enhance their abilities. In mild of the two-thirds of Currents respondents who’re involved in regards to the sustainability of open supply (citing lack of funding and assist from giant companies as obstacles), we’re optimistic that student-friendly initiatives like Hacktoberfest will play a significant function in creating new neighborhood leaders who will assist form the course of open supply.
The Currents report noticed total open supply participation enhance by eight% from final 12 months but in addition revealed challenges round illustration and inclusion of builders from all walks of life. According to the report, solely one-third of people who establish as girls charge the range of the open supply neighborhood extremely. In the Hacktoberfest neighborhood, we’ve benefited tremendously from the inflow of numerous views, and we’re dedicated to encouraging folks of all backgrounds to take part as we broaden this system in 2020 and past. By persevering with partnerships with organizations to have interaction teams usually underrepresented in expertise, we see an enormous alternative to guide the business on this course.
We sit up for persevering with this mission with the neighborhood that makes all of it doable. Thanks to all of the Opensource.com neighborhood readers who participated, and we sit up for the subsequent 12 months collectively!
