Today is Ubuntu Community Appreciation Day, a new tradition in the Ubuntu community started by Ahmed Shams El-Deen of the Ubuntu Egypt LoCo. I’d like to take this opportunity to show appreciation for Kees Cook, who many years ago took time out of a busy conference to teach me how to build my first .deb package. That welcoming spirit — that patient recognition that every green newbie has the potential to become a future valuable contributor — is a key part of community strength and growth. It’s a pattern I emulate, and a gift I repay, by welcoming and mentoring other new developers. Over the years, Kees has demonstrated sane, sensible, calm, and wise technical leadership at OSDL (now known as The Linux Foundation), on the Ubuntu security team, and more recently on the Ubuntu Technical Board. There are many reasons I have confidence in the future of Ubuntu, and he is one of them. Thanks, Kees!

I’d like to thank the entire Ubuntu community for renewing my faith in the humanity of free software. When I stumbled on Ubuntu all those years ago, I had already been working in free software for what felt like a century, and was…well, tired. Your joy and delight in bringing free software to the world inspired me, and restored my passion for contributing. The heart and soul of free software is people like you, changing the world for the better every day. Thank you all!