Re: A call to action

[Kevin Cullis <kevincu orci com>]

Gerry Chu wrote:
> 
> It seems like our great little mailing list and the hitsquad have been for
> quite a long time swept into the backwaters of GNOME development.
> 
> Here's the beginning of a file dialog thread on gtk-devel-list:
> http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gtk-devel-list/2000-August/msg00241.html
> 
> Here's an announcement of a new file dialog with screenshots:
> http://mail.gnome.org/archives/gtk-devel-list/2000-August/msg00251.html
> 
> And here's the sourceforge page: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gtkfilesel/
> 
> No mention at all of us.  No mention of whether the developers cared about
> ui issues.  And this isn't the first time we have been left behind.
> 
> I guess it brings that infamous old free software addage to mind: if you
> want it, code it yourself.
> 
> I think some core GNOME developer (eazel?) needs to organize the mailing
> list, the hitsquad, and developers to commit to a written down process on
> how new ui designs for GNOME / GTK programs and widgets are going to be
> finalized into _release_ form.  I think our mailing list is a great resource
> for bringing together users and novice to expert ui designers--anyone who
> cares about how GNOME appears to the end user together.
> 
> Once in a while, there's an misguided article about GNOME has no ui-team, no
> ui-standards page, etc, etc.  And then I think: wait--what's this person
> talking about?  We have the hitsquad, we have this mailing list, he have...
> 
> But we don't have anything to show for it.  The mailing list has high
> turnover, nothing from the hitsquad has been integrated, and eazel has
> dramatically changed the decision-making structure of the GNOME community.
> 
> Ideas?  Comments?  Arlo?
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Gerry Chu
> gerrychu bigfoot com

Gerry,

I think it's not only about GNOME GUI, but what about Star Office as
well?  Where is GNOME Foundation going since SO is suppose to use GNOME
stuff? I just subscribed to the Openoffice mailing list and I think we
should get together with them to see how this can work.

I absolutely agree that a process should be written down and followed. 
I'm currently helping LDP in reorganizing the HOWTOs, etc., to make the
organization much easier to find answers. I'm also working with a
programmer friend to come up with a programmers HOWTO (a new name will
be needed) to assist other programmers with documenting their work. 
Bottomline: it's all about communication and programmers want to bang
bytes first and write latter, which inevitiably slows the process down.

The question is: What do we need to do first?  Has anyone done this? Or
is it the programmers only who are working?

Kevin Cullis
kevincu orci com
Denver, CO

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