My dear Flarumites,
it is time for me to say good bye. 🎶 After five years, I quietly phased out my active involvement in Flarum core development near the end of 2020.
During the last year, I was able to spend my Fridays on Flarum - for real money. 😱 Being paid to work on my own open-source project was a dream come true and an awesome experience. This would not have been possible without your financial support, so thank you all! 🤗
But all good things come to an end. In this case, not because the money was running out - quite the opposite, actually.
I am sure that 2020 was wild for all of us, in so many ways. In addition, my wife and I welcomed our second child in 2020 - that can make a family's life even more crazy (the good kind, of course). 🎉
It became clear that we needed to revisit some priorities in our lives. With more responsibilities on my shoulders, I had to let some of them go.
Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, this was such a hard decision to make. As side-projects tend to do, Flarum has grown near and dear to my heart. However, the stress of juggling two projects of such size - in my day job and for Flarum - has taken its toll on me.
During the last year, I spent much more time than before creating and reviewing code and bringing the software closer to its big goal: the first stable release. But at the same time, I lost touch with the Flarum community and the surrounding ecosystem. Don't get me wrong: I am more than happy to do my thing in the background while relying on my awesome team members for all the other aspects of an open-source project. Also, being knee-deep in code and the discussions surrounding it is something I thoroughly enjoy.
And yet, something felt off-balance. 🤨
There are more things to this story, but in the end, it comes down to this: Being stressed by a hobby project did not feel right. Bringing some of this stress into my family was a red flag.
On the bright side: the last months have proven that this was the right thing to do. With some much-needed additional breathing room, I finally had more time again for things I love, and even for exploring new ideas. But most importantly, more time for my family.
Two of Flarum's original developers have now left the team, and yet I'm very optimistic for the future of this project.
During the last year, this great team has really stepped up and shown its dedication in following through on a more regular release cycle. Beyond that, several talented individuals have joined the team in the last few months, sharing the work across more shoulders and bringing in ideas and talents that weren't there before. 👍
Now, it is time for me to leave, with the best wishes for the project - may it finally reach its full potential when throwing off the beta label!
And to you, its users: thanks for making the last years possible! Now, it is your turn to make Flarum shine - not for its beautiful UI (thanks, Toby!), but for fostering open and loving communities. The world needs more of those.
Franz
P.S.: Stay safe and stay healthy!
