mirror of https://github.com/rwf2/Rocket.git
254 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
254 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
# Building a Better Foundation for Rocket's Future
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<p class="metadata"><strong>
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Posted by <a href="https://sergio.bz">Sergio Benitez</a> on Nov 17, 2023
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</strong></p>
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Along with the [release of Rocket v0.5], today I'm sharing plans to launch the
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Rocket Web Framework Foundation, or [_RWF2_]. The RWF2 is a nonprofit
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organization designed to support Rocket and the surrounding ecosystem,
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financially and organizationally.
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I'm also directly addressing the community's concerns regarding the pace of
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Rocket's development, leadership, and release cadence. My hope is to assuage any
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and all concerns about Rocket's future. I hope reading this leaves you feeling
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confident that Rocket is here to stay, and that the RWF2 is the right step
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towards increased community contributions and involvement.
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! note: This is a co-announcement [along with release of Rocket v0.5].
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[along with release of Rocket v0.5]: ../2023-11-17-version-0.5/
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[release of Rocket v0.5]: ../2023-11-17-version-0.5/
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[_RWF2_]: https://rwf2.org
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[RWF2]: https://rwf2.org
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## Background
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I released Rocket in 2016 to fanfare. It was lauded as _the_ web framework for
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Rust. But in the last few years, I'd be remiss to claim the same. New frameworks
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have emerged, Rocket's recent development has been nothing short of erratic, and
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four years went by without a major release.
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The community rightfully voiced its disappointment and concern. Posts inquired
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about the project's status: was it dead? I received copious email ranging from
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concern over my well-being, to anger, to requests to transfer the project
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entirely. The community ~~wasn't~~ isn't happy with Rocket.
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And I get it. I failed to adequately lead the project. I failed to communicate
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when it mattered most. I couldn't control the life events that pulled me away
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from Rocket and most of my responsibilities, but I could have done more to
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communicate what was going on. And I certainly could have done _something_ to
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make it easy, make it _possible_ for others to push the project forward in my
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absense.
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But I did none of that. I couldn't make it happen. And I'm truly, sincerely
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sorry.
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## A Better Foundation for Rocket's Future
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I'd like to make it impossible to repeat these mistakes. That's why today I'm
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announcing plans for a new independent nonprofit foundation designed to support
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and bolster Rocket's development, increase transparency, and diversify project
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leadership: [RWF2].
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> The **R**ocket **W**eb **F**ramework **F**oundation, _RWF2_, is a
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> <abbr title="RWF2 is granted 501(c)(3) status via its fiscal host, the OCF.">
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> 501(c)(3) nonprofit</abbr> and <a href="https://opencollective.com/rwf2">
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> collective</a> that supports the development and community of free and open
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> source software, like <a href="https://rocket.rs">Rocket</a>, as well as
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> education for a more secure web.
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Moving forward, the RWF2 will be responsible for governing Rocket and dictating
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its trajectory. The goal is to distribute control of the project and prohibit
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one person from being able to stall its development. The RWF2 will also act as a
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vehicle for tax-deductible contributions, funds management, and development
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grant distribution, all with the aim of increasing high-quality contributions
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and educational material.
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In summary, the RWF2 exists to enable:
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* **Diversified Leadership**
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Key responsibilities, such as releases, security, infrastructure, and
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community engagement will be distributed to community members under the
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umbrella of the foundation.
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* **Tax-Deductible Contributions**
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Because the RWF2 is a 501(c)(3) organization, contributions are
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tax-deductible. We particularly hope this encourages corporate sponsorship,
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especially from those who depend on Rocket. As a nonprofit, the RWF2 must
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transparently manage and disburse all funds.
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* **Development Grants**
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A key use for contributions is the foundation's sponsorship and
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administration of µGrants: small (≤ $1k) grants for concrete work on
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Rocket or related projects. Compensation is staged upon completion of
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predefined milestones and quality requirements.
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* **Increased Transparency**
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Milestones, release schedules, and periodic updates form part of the
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foundation's responsibilities. The aim is to keep the community informed on
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Rocket's development and plans, making it easier to get and remain involved.
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* **Educational Resource Expansion**
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The RWF2 aims to enhance the accessibility of educational resources,
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training, and mentorship for web application security, especially for
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traditionally marginalized groups. Our focus lies in delivering
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high-quality, practical materials for building secure web applications.
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## What's Happening Now
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There's a lot to do to realize these goals, but the process starts today. Here's
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what's being done now:
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0. **Open Sponsorship**
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Starting now, you can sponsor the RWF2 through [GitHub Sponsors] or
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[Open Collective]. Tiers are still a work in progress, but for now, consider
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all tiers on Open Collective, and Bronze+ tiers on GitHub, as intended for
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corporate sponsors. Note that only contributions made directly via Open
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Collective are guaranteed to be tax-deductible.
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A special shout out to `@martynp`, `@nathanielford`, and `@wezm` for
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jumping the gun in the best of ways and sponsoring the RWF2 via GitHub
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ahead of schedule. Thank you!
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0. **Team Assembly**
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Initially, RWF2 governance will be exceedingly simple and consist of a
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president <small>(hi!)</small> and a handful of team leads. Individuals can
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fill multiple positions, though the intent is for every position to be held
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by a different individual. Positions are by appointment, either by the
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presiding team lead, by the president in their absence, and by other team
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leads in the president's absence.
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The initial teams and their responsibilities are listed below. If you're
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interested in leading any of the teams (or another team you think should
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exist), please reach out via the [Matrix channel] or directly via
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[foundation@rwf2.org](mailto:foundation@rwf2.org).
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- *Maintenance*
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Reviews issues, pull requests, and discussions, and acts on them as
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necessary. This largely means triaging issues, closing resolved or
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duplicate issues and discussions, closing or merging stale or approved
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pull requests, respectively, and pinging the appropriate individuals to
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prevent issues or PRs from becoming stale.
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- *Release*
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Publishes code and documentation releases. This includes partitioning
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commits according to scope and impact on breakage, writing and updating
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CHANGELOGs, and testing and publishing new releases and their
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documentation.
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- *Knowledge*
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Creates, maintains and improves materials that help others learn about
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Rocket or web security. This includes documentation like API docs and the
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Rocket guide, code such as examples and tutorials, and materials for live
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or in-person education.
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- *Community*
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Keeps the community adjourned on happenings. This involves writing
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periodic project updates as well as digesting and communicating
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development milestones and schedules to a broad audience.
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- *Infrastructure*
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Maintains infrastructure including: building, testing, and release
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scripts, static site generation, CI and other automated processes, and
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domain registrar and cloud computing services.
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0. **Transfer of Assets**
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The majority of Rocket's assets, including its domain, website, source
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code, and associated infrastructure, are managed under personal accounts.
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All assets are being transferred to foundation-owned accounts, and access
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will be given to the appropriate teams. The [migration project on GitHub]
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is tracking the progress of asset migration.
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0. **Process Documentation**
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Some of Rocket's core processes, including releases and site building, are
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generally inaccessible to others. These will be documented, and access will
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be granted to the appropriate teams.
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0. **Open Planning & Development**
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While Rocket's development has generally been done in the open through
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GitHub issues, PRs, and projects, little has been done to publicize those
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efforts. Furthermore, _planning_ has largely been a closed process. Moving
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forward, planning will be done in the open, and the community team will be
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engaged to publicize development efforts and progress.
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[GitHub Sponsors]: https://github.com/sponsors/rwf2
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[Open Collective]: https://opencollective.com/rwf2
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[Matrix channel]: https://chat.mozilla.org/#/room/#rocket:mozilla.org
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[migration project on GitHub]: https://github.com/orgs/rwf2/projects/1
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## What's Coming Soon
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* **µGrants**
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The µGrant specification is a work-in-progress. We simulatenously want to
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encourage and financially incentivize high-quality contributions while not
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disincentivizing existing contributors. This is a delicate balance, and we
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want to take the time to get it right. To get involved, see the current
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[draft proposal](https://github.com/rwf2/rwf2.org/blob/master/docs/micro-grants.md) and
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share your thoughts in the [GitHub discussion](https://github.com/orgs/rwf2/discussions/8).
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As soon as we have a specification that feels fair, the first µGrants will
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be offered.
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* **Foundation Website**
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The [RWF2 website](https://rwf2.org) as it stands is a placeholder for a
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more fully featured website. Besides articulating the foundation's mission
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and goals, the RWF2's website will also serve as a source of truth for the
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status of and means to engaging with ongoing projects, grants, and finances.
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* **Membership**
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While certainly premature at this point in time, a consideration for the
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future comes in the form of foundation _membership_ whereby governance is
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expanded to include foundation _members_. The [governance proposal
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document](https://github.com/rwf2/rwf2.org/blob/master/docs/governance.md)
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has one take on how this might work. Until such a proposal is accepted,
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governance will follow the president + teams model articulated above.
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## How to Get Involved
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The RWF2 represents a conscious effort to transfer control of Rocket from an
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individual (me) to the community (you). Without your involvement, the RWF2
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ceases to exist. If you're excited about Rocket or the foundation, or simply
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want to see Rocket continue to exist and flourish, please get involved.
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* **Join the Discussion**
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Communicate with us via the [Matrix channel], via [GitHub
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discussions](https://github.com/orgs/rwf2/discussions), or via email at
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[foundation@rwf2.org](mailto:foundation@rwf2.org). The foundation bring-up
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itself is designed to be collaborative, and any input you have is
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invaluable.
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* **Make a Contribution**
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Any easy way to get involved is to financially contribute. You can sponsor
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the RWF2 through [GitHub Sponsors] or [Open Collective]. If your company
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uses Rocket, encourage it to sponsor the project through the foundation.
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* **Become a Team Lead**
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If you're interested in leading or learning more about any one of the
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*Maintenance*, *Release*, *Knowledge*, *Community*, or *Infrastructure*
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teams, or think another team should exist, please get in touch via the
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[Matrix channel] or via email at [foundation@rwf2.org](mailto:foundation@rwf2.org).
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I'm excited for this next step in Rocket's history, and I hope you'll join me in
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making it a success.
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