Tuesday, June 21, 2022 - 14:37
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At a Glance: Frank Schnicke

  • Involved in open source since: 2018
  • Works for: Fraunhofer IESE
  • Eclipse Foundation contributor since: 2018
  • Involved in: Eclipse AAS Model for Java, Eclipse BaSyx
  • Committer to: Eclipse AAS Model for Java, Eclipse BaSyx
  • Eclipse Foundation committer since: 2018
  • Fun fact: In Germany, most people learn to ride a bike as a kid, but Frank didn’t really learn how until he was 30, so he could go biking in the Alps.

How long have you been a developer?

I’ve been a developer for about 16 years, since I was 14 years old. But I even started a little bit when I was younger. At 10 years old, my father bought me a Commodore 64, and I played around with it. To load games on it from the disk, you have to do some “programming,” but I wouldn’t exactly call myself a developer for doing that. 

What was your first involvement with open source?

As a passive consumer, I was involved pretty early. Around 15 years ago I started using the open source gaming framework libGDX. I was interested in developing games, and this was one of the first professional Java frameworks you could use, and it was — and is — open source. I became an active contributor to open source when I joined Fraunhofer IESE in 2018.

How did you get involved with the Eclipse Foundation?

I got involved through my work. When I started, I was developing code for Eclipse BaSyx, which is open source middleware that addresses central Industry 4.0 use cases and delivers off-the-shelf tools and components to quickly and easily realize Industry 4.0 goals. 

I started as a contributor, but I quickly picked up more responsibilities. It just made sense, then, to become a committer: I was overseeing tasks and giving people the go-ahead to merge code. But if I just do it myself, it’s more efficient because I don’t have to tell someone else, “yes, this is fine, you can merge it.” 

I’m also involved in two other Eclipse Foundation projects, including the Eclipse AAS Model for Java and another which is in the proposal phase right now, which I will be co-leading. 

What has your experience been like as a committer?

It’s been a great experience. It’s a great way to interact with the community and be a kind of central node: someone people can ask questions of. That’s an important thing to keep in mind as a committer as well. You have a lot of responsibilities. If you merge contributed code that has bugs or security issues, that’s partially on you. 

Being a committer is also nice because you get to see so much code and, as a developer, you never stop learning. It’s really rewarding to actively see the software grow and know that you’re not just contributing a small part of it, you’re making it all fit together. 

Any advice for someone considering becoming a committer or getting more involved in open source? 

It’s very important to become a contributor first. Support and talk to existing committers because any features you’re developing have to fit into a bigger picture. In my experience, committers are always looking to see if a new feature fits well into that broader picture and isn’t just another feature we have to maintain. And, of course, you also want to make sure you’re not repeating someone else’s work. 

If you’re interested in open source, just do it. It’s a really rewarding experience. You can connect with some very experienced people and get great feedback on your code. It’s also a great way to build a portfolio: When I’m looking for student assistants, if they send me their open source contributions, I can get a good handle on their skill level. And as a committer, I’m more than happy to offer guidance because anything you develop is code I don’t have to write.