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

[Bowie Poag <bjp primenet com>]

> 
> THAT is what we have agreed upon. that a style guide before it is put into
> the gnome distribution or somewhere really public, has to be in a finished
> state.

Very much agreed.

> me and one or two others have explicitly stated that this list is NOT
> considered "general public" and does not want to be confronted with a final
> document to nod at.

Id envision the final "nod of approval" to happen far beyond the scope of
the people who correspond/read the mailing list. After all, its kinda hard
to be impartial to something you yourself have worked on. :) 

> the creative process and the quality of a document might INCREASE with the
> number of people involved (up to a certain limit and depending on what
> people, blah - we all know that).

Yeah. The Style Guide will be written based largely on the desires of
people who have expressed valid, informed points of view, with a very
careful balance between the needs of the user and the needs of the coder.
Its just that the more people have swimming in the pond, the muddier the
water gets, so to speak. 

The history of the Declaration of Independence & The Bill Of Rights are
both good examples of what i'm talking about. Both were documents which
(in the end, at least) were penned by a very small group of people based
on the input of a large number of others.



> I really, really, REALLY believe this list should have a part in the style
> guide aside from seing the final version five minutes earlier than everyone
> else. if this is not so, I can not see the purpose of this list. so maybe we
> should make clear exactly what this list is all about before we go around
> throwing in time and effort and then starting flame wars because it didn't
> meet our expectations.

But you see, it DOES have a part in its creation -- A huge part! To be
honest, im a little surprised people haven't gotten it into their heads
yet -- The style guide is to be written, based upon the input given by
discussion and debate on the mailing list. That does NOT mean "We're going
to argue and debate every line as we go." The concepts and ideas to be
encompassed by the Style Guide will be debated and tossed around on the
mailing list. Knoweldge gained from such debate makes its way into the
actual wording of the style guide.

I guess I have to keep saying this as many times as it takes. The creation
of the Style Guide is to be a cooperative effort--But we need structure to
the cooperation, so that it doesnt turn into a seething melee of
disjointed ideas, and comments on those ideas.

Perhaps its time for me to write out a Declaration of Intent...heheh

Bowie


> 
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> The universe does not have laws -- it has habits, and habits can be broken.
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