Re: GNOME Shell Modal Dialog Tweakage

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

Replying to two in one, to save electrons.

On Sat, 2012-03-10 at 13:03 -0500, Matthias Clasen wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 10, 2012 at 9:49 AM, Allan Day <allanpday gmail com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Now, if we want to define and write down an exact list of things we do
> >> not require approval for (but still require notification), I'm OK with
> >> that.
> >
> > I don't recall suggesting that you construct "an exact list of things
> > we do not require approval for". All I'm saying is that a single
> > sentence isn't a lot to go on. A few more details would be helpful.

Allan:

What I'm saying is that all the extra verbiage is what we would need
to have exceptions. The single sentence right now is very clear. It
doesn't mention exceptions, therefore there's no reason to assume any.

> > It's clear that many people don't understand the rules the way you do.

And that's why I engage developers when I think they're not following
the release process. I'm happy to have a more public discussion about
this. Our release process is always evolving, and I've always taken
part in those discussions.

> I think it is important to not lose sight of the goal here.
> 
> The freeze is not there so we in the release team or the documentation
> guys can feel empowered.  The goal is to ensure that we end up with a
> high-quality release and docs that match the actual product well
> enough to not confuse users.

Matthias:

I think one of the big benefits of the freezes is that they act as
a deterrent to making lots of small changes.

One small discrepancy isn't a big deal. As you mentioned earlier,
very few people will likely even notice a discrepancy in the docs
with this particular change. (By the same token, though, very few
people will notice the change at all, and that makes it much less
urgent to get it into this release.)

But if we don't discourage changes after the freezes, then it won't
be one small discrepancy. It will be 20 or 50 or 100. And then our
help and marketing materials and other stuff look unprofessional.
Yes, I care if our help looks professional. I care that it gives
the impression that it's current, because we're fighting a user
perception problem born out of a decade of useless and outdated
manuals. Details matter.

Allan only sent a notification because another developer suggested
he should. And he apparently made some font size changes without
notification. That suggests to me that people are not deterred at
all from making post-freeze changes, and that potentially lots of
small changes are being made that I don't know about. It adds up.

--
Shaun