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Hobbyist to Open Source Founder: My Journey to Building Impactful Software

🕓 10:20 am - 11:05 am📍 Room 5 - Black Swan (Lv 2)
Building your own personal projects is fantastic. Building something that meaningfully helps people across the world? I don't know that feeling, but maybe one day I might! This talk follows my journey from building personal projects, to now building my first open-source library, and the many discoveries I've made along the way. Like how 'open source' isn't just one thing, but a strategic landscape of licensing and business models. Or how the motivations behind open source contributors are more complex than you might think. Whether you're building personal projects wondering if they could help others, considering your first open source contribution, or curious about the strategic thinking behind the tools you use every day, you'll leave with a clearer understanding of how to navigate the open source ecosystem - and maybe inspiration for your own journey from personal projects to projects that matter to others.
Ja-Jet LohJa-Jet Loh

2025 Sponsors

Platinum

Patient Zero
At first, when we heard that DDD Perth was held in a stadium, we thought there was no way that could be true. Turns out it is. Well done, Perth! Once we learned the truth of the matter, we just had to come and check it out ourselves and share our zombie sock love. Yeah, we love zombies if the name didn't give it away. And we love our zombie sock merch. That, plus, our co-CEO Paul loves to hear himself talk and our other one, Demelza, loves a stage.
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MakerX
DDD Perth embodies everything we believe in at MakerX - making technology accessible, fostering diversity, and building high-performing teams. These aren't just ideals we talk about; they're the proven foundation of successful technology companies.The conference itself is a masterclass in bringing people together. With 1,600 passionate technologists gathering in one place, we're witnessing real-time ecosystem building - where today's attendees become tomorrow's co-founders, where nervous first-time speakers evolve into industry leaders, and where casual conversations spark the collaborations that define our tech future. At MakerX, we know that helping our partners succeed requires more than writing code. It's about weaving together culture, connections, and capabilities - transforming research breakthroughs and bold ideas into sustainable businesses that create real impact. That's exactly what DDD Perth facilitates at scale and we're proud to be onboard to support the event for another year.
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Gold

SKAO
The SKA Observatory is excited to be returning to DDD as a Gold Sponsor, supporting the Perth-based software and tech community. The SKAO is building two of the most advanced radio telescopes on Earth - one here in outback Western Australia, on Wajarri Yamaji Country, and another in South Africa. Together these telescopes will revolutionise our understanding of the Universe and the laws of fundamental physics. Computing, software, and big data are critical to the success of this mega science project. If you'd like to learn more about the work our computing and software teams are doing, or about the project more generally, please come and say hello to us in our booth!
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Virtual Gaming Worlds
At VGW, we believe the future of tech is built on diverse ideas and continuous collaboration. Our partnership with DDD Perth reflects our commitment to supporting a passionate community of developers and innovators who are driving technology forward in Western Australia and beyond” - Patrick Di Loreto, VGW's Chief Technology Officer
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Qoria
The Perth technology community has been a key contributor to Qoria's growth as a company over the years, and we're excited to continue to give back to that same community by returning as sponsors in 2025. You won't find a more vibrant, inclusive, and content-rich community tech conference in Australia, and we're so keen to see what is on offer this year. Come see our booth on the day to find out how we're making the world safer for students worldwide, and chat about some of the awesome technology that makes that possible.
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Octopus Deploy
Octopus Deploy has always been about developers helping developers. This is why we're avid supporters of the DDD community across Australia. DDD Perth is a standout event that brings the developer community together to learn, share, and grow, and we're proud to be part of it. We care deeply about helping teams ship better software, faster, and with less risk. Swing by our booth to chat about joining our team or all things Continuous Delivery, regardless of whether you're deploying to Kubernetes, the cloud, or hybrid environments.
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AWS
AWS is thrilled to support the amazing developer community event DDD Perth again this year. At AWS we believe in meeting developers were they are, and in the beautiful city of Perth, we know DDD is where ALL the developers are ! . The AWS team are so looking forward to some great conversations and fun times at another DDD Perth event in 2025
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It's such a privilege to be able to run this conference and DDD Perth would love to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land in which DDD is created, presented, and shared, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.