Thoughts on legacy...

[Eric Rostetter]

Quoting Christian Pearce <pearcec at commnav.com>:

> I didn't use IRC either, but the fact of the matter is I needed to use this
> in order to be helpful for the projects sake.  I learned.  I believe a good
> deal of projects get done this way.  It is a virtual meeting room.

Most of the projects I work on have an IRC channel.  None *require* it
though.

So, I thought I'd put some time into the project from work.  Work said okay.
But maybe I work on IBM MVS/CMS, or OpenVMS, or some other operating system
that doesn't have native IRC software.  Maybe I don't have access to install
such software on the machine.  Maybe my firewall policy won't allow it.
Maybe I'm just not hip to IRC.  Maybe none of the folks who told me to get
on IRC bothered to say which IRC server (or what ever) I needed to use.
In any case, I'm screwed.

But I do know web design.  I do know html. I do know php and asp.  I do
know xml.  I do know cvs.  I have access to all these things.  But because
I don't/can't use IRC I can't help with the FL web page?

But the fact is, I *could* use IRC.  Not easily, not well, but I'm sure I could
get something installed and learn to use it eventually.  Same with wiki.  But
given my limited time, and the fact that the project is behind schedule,
we had two options:

1) Wait several weeks or even months for me to learn how to do these things.
2) Just let me do a web page without using IRC (say, using e-mail for
communication).

Now, which is a better, or least faster and more productive, method?
Which one works better when people are working in different time zones;
e-mail or IRC?  I'd guess e-mail.

> there opinion differently let them do the work then.  I think working on
> these projects doesn't mean having someone spell it out for you.  If they did
> that they might as well do it themselves.  I don't mean to sound critical on
> this, but I think this is just the way it goes.

I wasn't looking to have anything spelled out.  I was looking for details as
to what was needed and within what constraints.  Okay, so we need a web site.
I need some info.  What web server will it be on, and on what OS?  What
resources are available to me (does it have asp or php, cvs, etc).  That kind
of thing.  Can be done in just a couple of e-mails.  The web site can be done
in a day or two.  No big deal.  But not if I need to do this via IRC, then
it becomes weeks or months of work on my part.

> Take the time to learn it yourself.  Or jump on IRC and start asking
> questions.  Everyone was very helpful in getting me up to speed.  I have a

So I jump on IRC to learn how to jump on IRC?

> IRC is older than dirt.  Wiki's are nothing new or difficult to understand.

Yep.  IRC is older than dirt.  I've known about it since I was a kid.  And
I'm 40 now.  But I've still never used it, and still don't know how to use it.

Wiki may not be hard, but I can't figure it out.  When I signed up, it said
a new user doesn't need to specify a password.  So I didn't.  Now I have a
non-password protected wiki account, that as far as I can tell anyone can
use now to post info in my name.  I've searched, but I can not find a way
to set the password (after the account is created).  And I just haven't
had time to research it.  Nor have I had time to learn IRC.  Nor have I
had time to get on IM which has been on my TODO list since December.  Things
take time, and when your life is busy, you don't always have time.  But
should that stop me from being able to help with the project?

> I am sorry this isn't easier for you, but I feel I was in the same position
> as you were and I was interested it working on this project.  Therfore I
> spent time reading and learning so I could be come an active particpant.

Well, actually, I hope I am an active participant.  I have participated in
the mailing list.  I did create the web pages.  I updated them today.  I've
tested some of the RPM updates.  But I sure could do more if people had any
interest in making it easier for me to help.

Now, I don't take any of this personally.  In fact, I wasn't really complaining
for myself.  I was complaining because I thought it would help many others
on the mailing list who want to help but are just plain lost in the tech-talk
that is being thrown at them when they try to help.  We have a lack of
participation, and I think it is because we've raised artificial walls
that are blocking people who want to help.

> --
> Christian Pearce
> http://www.commnav.com

--
Eric Rostetter