Interview with msub2

_posts/2024-11-12-behind-the-code-msub2.md

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+---
+layout:     post
+tags:       blog
+title:      "Behind the code: an interview with msub2"
+date:       2024-11-12
+summary:    Q&A with Servo contributor msub2.
+categories:
+---
+
+Behind the Code is a new series of interviews with the contributors who help propel Servo forward. Ever wondered why people
+choose to work on web browsers, or how they get started? We invite you to look beyond the project's pull requests and issue
+reports, and get to know the humans who make it happen.
+
+<hr>
+
+## <img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/70986246?v=4" width=60> [msub2](https://github.com/msub2)
+
+Some representative contributions:
+* [OpenXR: Separate graphics handling from main OpenXR code](https://github.com/servo/webxr/pull/243)
+* [Surface supported interaction profiles from OpenXR runtime](https://github.com/servo/webxr/pull/229)
+* [Support OpenXR runtimes that do not support fovMutable](https://github.com/servo/webxr/pull/224)
+* [crypto: Begin SubtleCrypto implementation](https://github.com/servo/servo/pull/33628)
+* [bindings: Allow Guard to take multiple conditions, check for SecureContext in ConstructorEnabled](https://github.com/servo/servo/pull/33508)
+* [Implement non-XR Gamepad discovery and input](https://github.com/servo/servo/pull/31200)
+
+### Tell us about yourself!
+
+My name is Daniel, though I more commonly go by my online handle "msub2". I'm something of a generalist, but my primary interests
+are developing for the web, XR, and games. I created and run the [WebXR Discord](https://discord.gg/webxr), which has members from both the Immersive Web Working
+Group and the Meta Browser team, among others. In my free time (when I'm not working, doing Servo things, or tending to my other
+programming projects) I'm typically watching videos from YouTube/Dropout/Nebula/etc and playing video games.
+
+### Why did you start contributing to Servo?
+
+A confluence of interests, to put it simply. I was just starting to really get into Rust, having built a CHIP-8 emulator and an
+NES emulator to get my hands dirty, but I also had prior experience contributing to other browser projects like Chromium and Gecko.
+I was also eyeing Servo's WebXR implementation (which I had submitted a couple small fixes for last year) as I could see there was
+still plenty of work that could be done there. To get started though, I looked for an adjacent area that I could work on to get
+familiar with the main Servo codebase, which led to my first contribution being support for non-XR gamepads!
+
+### What was challenging about your first contribution?
+
+I'd say the most challenging part of my first contribution was twofold: the first was just getting oriented with how data flows
+in and out of Servo via the embedding API and the second was understanding how DOM structs, methods, and codegen all worked together
+in the script crate. Servo is a big project, but luckily I got lots of good help and feedback as I was working through it, which
+definitely made things easier. Looking at existing examples in the codebase of the things I was trying to do got me the rest of the
+way there I'd say.
+
+### What do you like about contributing to the project? What do you get out of it?
+
+The thing I like most about Servo (and perhaps the web platform as an extension) is the amount of interesting problems that there
+are to solve when it comes to implementing/supporting all of its different features. While most of my contributions so far have been
+focused around Gamepad and WebXR, recently I've been working to help implement SubtleCrypto alongside another community member, which
+has been really interesting! In addition to the satisfaction I get just from being able to solve interesting problems, I also rather
+enjoy the feeling of contributing to a large, communal, open-source project.
+
+### Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
+
+I'd encourage anyone who's intrigued by the idea of contributing to Servo to give it a shot! The recent waves of attention for projects
+like Verso and Ladybird have shown that there is an appetite for new browsers and browser engines, and with Servo's history it just
+feels right that it should finally be able to rise to a more prominent status in the ecosystem.