Mental Health of Developers in the Open Source Landscape

This piece looks at the mental health challenges in working as a developer, specifically within open source software. Whilst some of the factors relate to work more generally, particularly, the fast-moving world of information technology, the open source factor is particularly interesting. Open source environments, where work is meant to be decentralised, collaborative and open to all to work on, has its own challenges. He argues that the values upon which it is meant to be based has been somewhat lost.

The author has explained that developers work on open source software for a variety of reasons – from gaining skills and experience for career progression, resolving bugs, employer’s request to incorporate such software, to commitment as a personal passion.

By Tim Coates, Apr 3, 2024, https://timcoatesinsights.wordpress.com/

In the current age, the world runs on code. From websites to mobile apps, software developers are the unseen architects shaping our technological landscape. Within this realm, open source software (OSS) plays a vital role, collaboratively built and freely available. However, the nature of OSS development presents unique challenges that can significantly impact the mental well-being of these developers.

This article delves into the current state of mental health among software developers, with a particular emphasis on the pressures and potential pitfalls faced by those contributing to open source projects. By understanding these challenges, we can work towards fostering a more supportive environment, ensuring the well-being of coders and the continued success of the open source movement.

Between Then and Now

The original intent of open source was making the source code of software programs and platforms accessible by all. That is, individuals are invited to update the code with the purpose of improving the software for the benefit of all users.

Between then and now, things have changed whereby it can be difficult to contribute to open source projects due to aggressive communications and complex codebases. The author argues that open source should focus on empathy and collaboration again

The Guest House

By Sadia, Journey to the Heart of Islam.

Shared below is an excerpt of a post from a really interesting personal blog covering the writer’s life experiences, including her Muslim faith and interest in a variety of issues, including history and current affairs.

The Guest House

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The story of how I met my husband, AlHamduliLlah.

It is the evening of 6^th July, and at 6 PM, I have checked in to my evening job: a couple of months ago now, I’d come across an ad on a neighbourhood app I have an account on. Previously on this app, I’d found a couple of long-term tutoring jobs for myself; once, I have managed to track down and find, from somebody’s post on the app about him, my next-door-neighbours’ missing cat, Chase; I have also sourced some free things from neighbours here and there through it, including a sewing machine a neighbour had been giving away, one time. And this particular ad was by the owner of a nearby guest house in Cambridge, where I was then living, and working, and studying: she was seeking an evening receptionist for her business.

Renumeration for this work, the owner of the guest house explained in her post, would not be monetary. This arrangement would involve doing some work between the hours of 6 PM and 9 PM daily, in exchange, specifically, for a room of one’s own in the back of the house. She’d added that this arrangement was likely best suited for a student.

I eagerly responded to the ad. The opportunity seemed quite perfect for me: at the time, I was a full-time student in Cambridge [at a theological college there], and had been living in a shared rental house alongside three fellow women. One of these fellow residents, a bright, fun, intelligent girl who humorously and famously wore dinosaur-decorated Crocs around the house: a Psychology student by the name of Serena[1], would go on to become a great and hopefully lifelong friend of mine.

This, at age 21, had been my very first experience of having lived away from my parents; ‘away from home’, to put it like that. My father was teary-eyed as he dropped me off at that new house – and thus at the next stage of my life – having accompanied me in the car there, from London. Soon after having dropped me off there that night, there was a knock at the door. I paused from getting to better know my lovely new housemates for a moment and opened it to find my father standing in the doorway once again: he’d returned in order to drop off some groceries to me, which he’d picked up for me at the local supermarket. Sandwiches, snacks, and orange juice. And a pot or two of instant porridge for the next day’s breakfast.

I know, now, that ‘home’, for me, is located in the presence of two crucial things; that these are the hearts of any good, warm, and embracing home, for me: anywhere I go, I find home in my religion – in the remembrance of God – and in knowing, loving, and being loved by, good people. Serena was undoubtedly one of those people: she made this new house feel like home, and it felt like we bonded most beautifully, and effortlessly.

Read the full piece, The Guest House, by Sadia, on the writer’s blog, Journey to the Heart of Islam here.

Interview in Spring

By Jay, 26 March 2023

Red-tinged catkins on the wet asphalt path, besides the flowing mead. Blossom and magnolia flares burn in recent memory. Spring makes its way, in the buffeting wind and rain. Warm mornings surprise open doors, only for the rain to shut them again.

A journey to an interview that was a journey beyond the past. You were not going to go but you did. Traveling to a town beyond a university city, out into the countryside. It was too far but maybe it would be a hybrid role. Maybe, you would finally move, even though, you cannot conceive of it. At the station, an expensive tea and stodgy muffin, carried onto the waiting train.

You stop at the city that you studied in in the far off past. At this train station, you came and went. It is a memory of loss – waiting and performance. You try not to look or feel, in case you see yourself. 

London Literary Walking Tours – Calendar

Here’s a calendar of some literature-related walking tours in London. I do not endorse or benefit from any of these tours but have created this calendar to support travelers looking for guided walking tours in London.

Please check individual websites to confirm the details, in case of changes or error in recording here.

The majority of the tours listed here are paid tours. You can also find free tours online, though, usually, a donation is expected to support the guide. You can also find self-guided audio tours or maps online as well, if you prefer to explore independently.

Guided walking tours can be a way to learn about the city from an expert and engage with other travelers.