Meet the Members is a look into the lives and stories behind the incredible human beings whose contributions have helped shape our project and community.
Our featured member today is @irihapeti
What’s your name (username)?
Irihapeti
Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m an older person, retired, but spend my days surrounded by computing devices. I’ve always been interested in how stuff works and what can be done with it. My mother didn’t approve of girls doing non-girly stuff, but that never stopped me.
How did you first get involved in the Ubuntu Community?
I had acquired a CD via the New Zealand edition of PC Magazine in a small-town supermarket magazine rack. I installed it and ran into a problem, like so many new users did. Ubuntu Forums was my first port of call, where I got help for what turned out to be a rather unusual problem. I stuck around and the rest, as they say, is history.
Can you tell us about your contributions that lead to Ubuntu Membership?
There was a “Membership via Forums Contributions” track. Part of the requirements was 1,000 posts (obviously not including non-support areas or posting for the sake of posting). Reporting spam was included in the number, which is not as silly as it sounds, because back then before SSO, there could be lots and lots of spammers and the mods obviously couldn’t be everywhere. Someone else must have thought that I met the other requirements, because I had at least two people prodding me to apply for Membership.
What is the core motivation that keeps you contributing to Ubuntu and the open source movement?
It’s fun and it’s rewarding. Probably also seeing my grandkids getting involved in Linux encourages me to stick around so that I can encourage them.
What’s your proudest moment or most memorable interaction within the Ubuntu community?
I’m not sure whether it was being told I was accepted for Membership, or being asked to become a Forums moderator about a month later. I do recall seeing the world through an orange haze at the time.
How has being a part of the Ubuntu community impacted you personally or professionally?
It’s given me the opportunity to make contributions without anyone being particularly bothered about my age, gender, location or (lack of) formal qualifications. It’s helped me to keep my brain active. Especially recently, it’s allowed me to make friends all over the world.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to start contributing but doesn’t know where to begin?
Don’t worry about not being a coder or an IT expert. If you can follow instructions, you’re off to a good start. Look around and find something that uses your abilities and interests. There’s writing and illustrating, testing things, answering questions on Discourse and other help platforms. And all sorts of other things. You can help people offline, too. Just get started, and see what happens …
Outside of the world of Ubuntu and tech, what are some of your other passions or hobbies?
Toastmasters (public speaking — though tech is involved there, too). Home cooking (partly for health reasons, but I also enjoy it). I attend a Māori church and I’m something of a theology nerd. I produce the church’s weekly leaflet containing readings and prayers, using Scribus on Ubuntu. It seems the tech is never very far away.
What excites you about the future of Ubuntu?
I think it’s great seeing the new lease of life in the community as a whole. Instead of having various parts of the community not communicating much and even being at odds with one another, we now have more people working together. Local groups which had more or less disappeared have been encouraged to start up again. Long may it continue!
