At a Glance: Kalyan Prasad Tatavarthi
- Involved in open source since: 2015
- Works for: IBM
- Eclipse Foundation contributor since: 2015
- Involved in: Eclipse Java development tools (JDT), Eclipse Platform
- Committer to: Eclipse JDT, Eclipse Platform
- Committer since: 2016
- Fun Fact: Kalyan is a fan of cricket and tennis, and enjoys cooking.
Why did you first get involved in open source software communities?
About 10 years ago, I was a software developer working on a product that was built on the Eclipse Platform project. It was a modeling and development environment for creating event-driven, real-time applications.
While I was in this role, I gained a deeper understanding of the Eclipse Platform project code base, and became interested in contributing to the Eclipse Platform project. When I had an opportunity to join the Eclipse team within IBM in 2015, I grabbed it.
How did that involvement lead to you becoming a committer at the Eclipse Foundation?
Initially, the primary reason for becoming a committer was my interest and involvement in the Eclipse Platform project. Later, I also became interested in the Eclipse Java development tools (JDT) project and started contributing to the new Java releases in the Eclipse IDE. Those contributions led to my role as an Eclipse JDT committer.
How would you summarize your experiences as a committer?
The most rewarding thing about being a committer is the recognition you receive from other developers. Their appreciation gives me the energy to work hard.
One of the most challenging things is the work I’m doing to implement support for the new Java language features in the Eclipse IDE. I’m involved in this effort because I’m a committer on the Eclipse JDT project.
I’m surprised at the speed with which the Eclipse Foundation community tries new features, especially the new Java language support-related features, and provides feedback on the quality by creating bugs or making comments. This feedback is very useful and encouraging for committers.
What are your next steps and goals as a committer and Eclipse Foundation community member?
My immediate goal is to contribute towards supporting the new language features in the upcoming Java release in the Eclipse JDT project. As a member of the Eclipse Foundation community, I would like to see more contributors in the Eclipse JDT and Eclipse Platform communities.
What would you say to developers who are considering getting more involved in open source software projects at the Eclipse Foundation?
The Eclipse Foundation community is very vibrant and welcoming to new contributors. Start contributing in the areas you’re interested in, and don’t hesitate to ask for help when needed. Contributions are not limited to code. They can also include creating bug reports, giving talks, writing blogs, responding on forums, and other types of contributions.
I received a lot of help from the community during my early days and it helped me push to become a committer. This was very encouraging for me.
Also, taking part and making presentations in webinars and at EclipseCon are very good ways to interact with other community members and share ideas.