For those who haven’t heard through Flock or the rumor mill, today is my last day at Red Hat and also the beginning of a hiatus from working on Fedora. Since I’ve been asked this many times in the past few weeks, this is because I’ve become a bit burnt out having worked on Fedora as both my day job and my hobby for the past seven years. It’s time for me to pull back, let fresh faces fill the roles I held, and do something else for a while to add some spice and variety. I may come back to Fedora or to Red Hat in the future but at the moment I’m only looking far enough ahead to see that I need to go forth and have some new experiences.
I do want to say thank you to all the wonderful people who have worked not just to make the Fedora distribution a solid piece of software but also filled Fedora with friendly faces and kind words. Truly, although I’m physically far removed from the rest of you, you are my neighbors, my community, and my friends. Even though I’m stepping away from working on Fedora, I hope to keep in touch with you via IRC for many many years.
I’d also like to announce that I woke up this morning to find that I’d been made the gatekeeper for a new Fedora Badge. As the badge submitter describes it:
I dream of a future where Toshio could fully express his techniques with the complicity and trust of many dance partners, responding to his moves and being pushed forward by him in the arts of dancing; exchanging, learning, growing as a vibrant community.
-Aurelien Bompard
Taking away the specifics of dancing and myself, this is my hope for everyone who participates in Fedora: to be able to grow in sympathy with a larger community.
With that in mind, if we’ve danced together and you would like this badge, please contact me (abadger1999 on IRC, toshio.fedoraproject.org via email). I can’t remember everyone’s FAS usernames but I’m extremely happy to award you the badge if you remind me what of what it is 🙂
The Ramblings 
Toshio!
I can’t begin to describe how grateful I was to meet you over at Porto Alegre, Brazil a few years ago.
I learned a lot of things about packaging, and you (And Dennis) helped me become a packager in Fedora.
Thank you for all the effort and passion you’ve put into Fedora and Red Hat,
Have fun in whatever the future awaits! 🙂
Thanks for all your work. You provided great help to me wrt python packaging in Fedora. Your dedication and attention to detail are much appreciated.
Thanks for the hard work and the helps, Toshio. You really need a good break.
Also speaking as a former Fedora contributor, it was great to work with you, Toshio! You have always been supportive to LATAM contributors and gave meaningful contributions to the local community and even to myself especially. I have learned so much from you since my early days on Fedora.
I still remember all the dancing going on during FUDCon LATAM events and I hope you had a good time with us as we certainly did with you.
Thanks for everything!
I’ve been a happy Fedora user on my home computers for years now. Thanks for helping make that happen.