Re: Call for hackfest ideas

[Behdad Esfahbod <behdad behdad org>]

On Wed, 2008-04-16 at 17:09 -0500, Shaun McCance wrote:

> A few things:
> 
> 1) I don't know that Don is actually interested in the writing
> side of things.  Although if you offer to fly him somewhere nice,
> he might become interested. :)  Prior to me, the guy responsible
> for the team was not the guy responsible for the tools.  After me,
> it will probably return to that.  I've bred Don to be my hacking
> replacement, not my writing replacement.

I see.  So, any writers other than yourself?


> 2) At the moment, the answer to the question "what needs work?"
> is basically "everything".  If we're not actually writing, then
> I don't know how useful it is for us to compile a list of what's
> wrong.  A list of what needs to be done will be quickly out of
> date if nobody is writing.  (Pulse can help immensely here, if
> we just iron out some kinks and get it running somewhere.)

Then just get together and do stuff.

> 3) Compiling a list of problems (and even recommendations for
> addressing those problems) is very likely something I can do
> on my own, given sufficient time.  Flying me somewhere nice
> is probably less economical and less productive than just
> finding a cell in Champaign you can lock me in.

Finding a cell and locking you in your home town is harder than locking
you in a hotel room in some remote place.  That would also make you feel
bad if you end up *not* working on what you promised :P.

> 4) Mallard will drastically change the way we organize stuff
> inside our documentation.  Putting people together in a room
> to plan out how to restructure our DocBook is like forming a
> committee to rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic.

What about putting people in the same room to do this Mallard thing
then?  I know that's what you proposed.  Feel like following up?  Send a
mail to Vincent and myself and we go from there.

> --
> Shaun

-- 
behdad
http://behdad.org/

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little
 Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
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