Re: Err..To Desktop Or Not To Desktop?

[Bowie Poag <bjp primenet com>]

> 
> All your other posts convey the intention of bringing forth a style
> guide full formed and then people can get to comment on it. I have
> disagreed with that concept from the beginning. I have yet to see you
> agree to keep people involved at every step.
> 

A) You obviously haven't read all my posts. I`ve made it clear, here,
   several times that -your- involvement comes in suggesting improvements,
   ideas, or changes to assumed-solid code. It will also come in a series
   of rather large questionairres that will be passed out during the
   upcoming IRC conference(s), for now. 

   So, you have the mailing list, and you have the ability to register
   vote with the others. The Style Guide, the rest of us have almost
   unanimously agreed, MUST BE DELIVERED TO THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE
   IN A FULLY-FORMED STATE. Read: Not *final* draft. Not even *rough*
   draft. Why does it have to be this way? Because if we sat here, and
   publically argued and debated every single line of the Style Guide
   as it were written, the whole process would become so unbelievably
   bogged down that we'd literally be here for years arguing it out.
   
   Once a fully formed Style Guide (Read: NOT "FINAL DRAFT") has been
   chiseled out, it will be thrown into the woodchipper of public debate.
   Then, we will all have the ability to examine it, comment on its
   strengths and weaknesses, and make the appropriate changes to the
   overall document. Then, not before.

B) If we have everyone involved at *every* step, the process of both
   writing it, and finalizing it, will be so distorted and incoherent
   that it wouldnt even be worth enforcing. A small cluster of people 
   need to sit down, and write out a master document, since coherence
   and clarity of a document are best achieved within small groups.
   The more people you add to the process, the muddier the waters become.
   This isnt a case where "The more you have, the better it becomes".
   Once the small group of authors is done, and has a coherent, clear
   document to show, THEN it becomes time for you and the others to pick
   it apart. A coherent, clear document should be able to stand on its
   own. Yes, I wish it were different. I wish I *could* gather a hundred
   people in a room over the course of a few days, and hammer this
   baby out--But I know that to do so, would only render a Style Guide
   of a lesser quality than what would have been made by a smaller, more
   focused group. >Now< just isnt the time to pick it apart, yet. To me,
   its like youre looking at an egg, and complaining that you cant use
   it to make a $35.00 plate of Duck L'Orange for dinner! BE PATIENT. 

   You just need to understand that the creative process, and the ability
   to generate a quality document take precedence over the desire to
   include everyone in the process. 

> 
> Guess what, I don't have time for a flamewar. I especialy don't have
> time for a flamewar with you, I've read some of yours before and you
> always repeat the same things over and over and accuse anyone who
> disagrees with you of not having read your post or any of the
> thread. This is my last post on the subject. If this list continues to
> be as annoying as it has been, I will unsub.
> 

Be my guest. I find the creative process fascinating. Thats why I get
involved. If this same process only serves to annoy you..well, you can
find the directions for unsubscribing from the list at www.gnome.org.

Bowie