new direction for the wallpaper - NEW FOLKS TOO!

Paul W. Frields stickster at gmail.com
Tue Mar 17 14:33:50 UTC 2009


On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 04:58:30AM -0700, Máirín Duffy wrote:
> 
> ----- Original Message ----
> 
> > From: Nicu Buculei <nicu_fedora at nicubunu.ro>
> > To: Fedora Art List <fedora-art-list at redhat.com>
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 3:49:51 AM
> > Subject: Re: new direction for the wallpaper
> > 
> > Máirín Duffy wrote:

> > > Based on some feedback we've gotten about the beta wallpaper, I
> > > have a couple of approaches to suggest for moving forward, let
> > > me know which you think is the better approach:
> > 
> > This morning I had the time to think a bit about changing
> > directions: possibly this will make Paul nervous and it may put
> > some deadlines in danger, but before committing to a radical
> > change, I think it would be useful to see the post-beta feedback
> > from a larger mass the users: the first wave of reviews, blogs and
> > forum talks (the perception setters).  We all here, supporters or
> > critics, are pretty much subjectively involved and I think a
> > breath of fresh air from the outside is valuable.
> > 
> > What I said above is not to be read as "stop the development",
> > just as "keep all the options open".
> 
> I think if more folks are willing to step up and commit to making it
> happen, it would be great for us to be able to change direction in
> response to the feedback we get. We do have to keep an eye on the
> schedule though. Right now I'm a little bit nervous about the
> manpower we have going into the wallpaper as I've already needed to
> put in a couple of late nights. :(

I think the Artwork team should be empowered to change direction if
needed.  The point of having a wallpaper release in the Beta was to
encourage more feedback.  If the team doesn't feel it can act on that
feedback, it would be silly to bother in the first place! :-) As far
as the schedule goes, I see it as an organic process that we try to
improve and tune with each release.  If it doesn't work perfectly this
release, we will try to capture the problems and resolve them with a
better attempt for the F12 schedule.

Mo is right, we do need people to commit to helping with any changes
proposed.  It's great to have ideas coming in, and we should simply
ask that the changes be backed up by a person agreeing to execute
them, or that the Artwork team agree to make a decision by a specific
date on which changes they'll accept and work on.

How do you guys feel about a simple task list on the wiki by which
artists could claim a task?  That might make it easier to see what's
left to do, and make progress.  If all the work looks like it will
land on one artist, maybe because people don't know what they can step
up to do, it's far less likely to get done -- or at least, it will be
very painful for that person when it does!  It seems like we've had
quite a number of people come by the list recently offering to learn
and help, and this is a good occasion for them to do so.  It's
relatively easy to take some existing art from a background and make,
say, a single banner with specific dimensions.  (At least, it seems
easy to me, even though I'm not an artist!) :-)

If each person taking a task (1) feels responsible for getting that
task done, (2) knows exactly what is needed to finish it, and (3)
knows when it's due, I suspect we have enough talented artists here to
get everything done.  It's *so* much easier for ten people to put in
two hours of work each, than for two people to put in ten hours each.
And as others have said before, it's also easier for experienced folks
to fine-tune a particular task, than to do the whole thing from
scratch.  And asking for help is always encouraged here!

It looks like there is a very complete set of instructions already on
the Artwork team's wiki area, which would help form the task list
(along with the bullet list of different splashes and banners):

https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Artwork/ThemingOverview

Do team members think we can get all the other art done in time for
the Fedora 11 Preview Release?  That might mean a tight schedule,
since I think all the freeze stuff for F11 Preview happens around
April 14, a little less than a month from now.  But I think it can be
done if we can put a plan in place quickly, first for deciding and
making changes to the background however the Artwork team feels is
required, then tasking out the rest of the theme and getting those
pieces done.

The last thing on my mind is being schedule-pushy as the FPL.  The
Artwork team has long expressed the desire to get Artwork done sooner,
so I'm just trying to bring that historical perspective.  I think
people are doing a great job already, and I really feel there's enough
momentum to do a superb F11 Preview with full artwork.  Let's make it
easy for people to grab a small piece of work and own it.

-- 
Paul W. Frields                                http://paul.frields.org/
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  irc.freenode.net: stickster @ #fedora-docs, #fedora-devel, #fredlug
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