Letter from The Foundation

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the 2024 May/June issue! As I’m writing this, I’m listening to the FreeBSD Day livestreams from community members. It’s been interesting hearing the different stories on how folks got involved, how they are using or contributing to FreeBSD, and what they are excited about in the FreeBSD world. The best part is hearing their love and passion for FreeBSD. In this issue, authors span a range of experiences with the Project, from a recent GSoC participant to a few folks who have decades of experience with FreeBSD. Even though they have different experience levels, they share their knowledge and dedication on topics they have experience in.

Though this issue doesn’t focus on FreeBSD Day, if you missed the recent celebrations, you can visit our FreeBSD Day page to see all the live streams and other related content.

I don’t like to play favorites on authors or subjects, but I am keen on reading Warner’s article on Submitting GitHub Pull Requests to FreeBSD because I personally want to start contributing to FreeBSD documentation. Maybe I’ll write an article about that experience!

I want to mention one more thing. Many of you already know about the sudden passing of Mike Karels. It’s a great loss for this community. I always saw him as a gentle soul, deeply connected to the history of FreeBSD while also being involved in its current development and support. Recently, Mike took on the role of Deputy Release Engineer to support Colin in his new position as Lead Release Engineer. In memory of Mike, I’d like to ask everyone to reach out to others in the community with kindness. Let’s lend a helping hand to support each other and fill in the gaps — as Mike did — in this wonderful Project. Although we can never replace Mike, we can continue to carry on his passion for FreeBSD and keep his memory alive.

I hope you enjoy this issue!
Deb Goodkin
FreeBSD Foundation Executive Director