On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Justin Erenkrantz
<justin_at_erenkrantz.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 7:57 AM, C. Michael Pilato <cmpilato_at_collab.net> wrote:
> In my mind, the point of being an open-source project is that we are
> trying to encourage contributions. Users are a happy and fortunate
> side-effect. So, when our website specifically hides relevant
> information about contributing where a developer who wants to think
> about contributing won't find it, then our website has failed.
FOUL!
Not only is it not hidden, it is more prominently linked than it has
ever been before.
> When the document's subtitle is: "If you are contributing to the
> Subversion project, please read this first." and we don't link to it
> *anywhere* where any reasonable developer would find it, isn't
> something really really broken? (BTW, no, "Documentation" is not
> where a developer would look if they want to contribute! I read
> "documentation" as "SVN book". Not where I would expect to find
> developer process info!)
Well, we had a Developer Resources link that we got rid of because the
content of the page was shaping up to be nearly identical to the
Documentation page. We could put that back easily and that might be
the answer.
> I applaud going after users - but remember that is a decision that you
> and Mark made on your own and didn't really consult anyone else on.
FOUL!
We brought this up on this list well before doing anything. There was
some commentary, but not much. Most people seemed to want to see the
pages before we comment and there were lots of calls for comments put
out. I do not have any objection to your commenting on improvements
now, BTW, just the notion that we did not consult anyone.
> That choice reflects your personal priorities - great! My priorities
> are developers and potential contributors - and I think that's just as
> valid a focus and at least worth throwing a few bones at. I do not
> believe that one additional link on the sidebar is going to ruin that
> focus.
I'd say we should just put the Developer Resources page back. This
gives us the ability to link in additional developer content in the
future.
> All I'm asking is that we add something somewhere in a prominent place
> that *clearly* points to our document that says: "If you are
> contributing to the Subversion project, please read this first".
> Nothing more, nothing less.
This would be good to add in the Getting Involved page.
> I really don't care where and how we do it, but if we continue to hide
> it, I feel it is going to hurt our community in the long run. --
My only objection is to the notion that we have tried to hide it.
--
Thanks
Mark Phippard
http://markphip.blogspot.com/
Received on 2010-02-03 17:36:13 CET