The Unraid Team's London Adventure

In June of 2024, the Unraid team packed their bags and flew from the US to London for our first-ever international offsite.

Our goal was to meet our overseas contributors for the first time IRL and thank them for all of their important contributions over the years.

After four days together, we all walked away with a renewed sense of excitement at the vast possibilities of Unraid OS, and our team bond deepened over shared meals and experiences. Months later, the enhanced collaboration and excitement on the team is palpable. 

Continue reading to hear more about what we discussed and see some fantastic Hawaiian shirt photo-ops. 

A Bit of Background

When our Founder, Tom, first posted on a home theater enthusiasts forum in 2005 about this new product called Unraid OS, it was just a little side project. But it didn’t take long for others to see its potential and want to get involved. 

For the first ~ ten years, users from all over the world worked alongside Tom to shape Unraid into what it is today. It wasn’t until 2015 that Unraid added its first official full-time employees, and we’ve been growing slowly but surely ever since. We are forever grateful for our early adopters and contributors—we wouldn't be where we are today if it weren't for you!

Nearly twenty years later, we knew that it was time for us to meet some of our most respected and well-known contributors in person for the first time. So, we packed our bags and flew to the UK for our first international gathering. 

There are three additional Contributors that couldn't make this gathering, but whose ongoing contributions to the product are invaluable: 

• Christoph, aka ich777 is the author of the NVIDIA driver plugin for Unraid, along with hundreds of Docker containers in Community Applications and guides. Learn more about Christoph and his contributions in this blog.
• Dan, aka dlandon is the maintainer of the ubiquitous Unassigned Devices plugin and has provided many enhancements to the Unraid WebGUI over the years.
• Ronald, aka bonienl, is the longest running member of the team! Ronald wrote the Dynamix webgui extensions back in Unraid 6.0, enhancing it significantly over the years. He also has written numerous plugins that further enhance Unraid OS.

Exploring London and Discussing the Future of Unraid OS

We had a great time exploring London together, enjoying meals, and diving into a full day of discussions about the current and future state of Unraid OS.

Some of the topics we discussed include….

• A public Unraid API (we just hired two new Software Engineers dedicated to building this out!)
• A responsive webgui (currently being worked on!)
• A shiny new Unraid Account web app to make managing your licenses a breeze (currently being worked on!)
• Additional notifications for ZFS pools such as pool scrubs and degraded pools
• Enhancements to hard drive SMART monitoring options
• An integrated backup solution 
• Solutions for offering alternatives to booting from a USB

…and a whole lot more!

Of course, our time wouldn't be complete without a Hawaiian shirt photo op!

These are not the only important contributors to Unraid OS

Over the last 20 years, our community has stepped up to write plugins and apps, provided feedback or suggestions on how to improve, submitted PRs to enhance the product, and supported one another in the forums and other online communities with respect and integrity.

When people ask about this company, one of the first things I always share is how unique and special our community is and how grateful we are for everyone who is here with us—whether you’re an OG from the early 2000s or you just joined us. Unraid truly is more than a product—it’s a community of like-minded, friendly, helpful people that our team is honored to be a part of.

The future is bright for Unraid OS, and I am thrilled to be on this journey with you all!

Cheers,

Tiffany Jones
Unraid Co-CEO

PS: I'm thinking it's time for an Official Unraid Hawaiian shirt... who's with me?!