Jonathan & List, I strongly agree with this new approach as well. Technical discussions in email are very hard to track, and I believe many people who might be contributors don't engage for this reason. I think discussion in Github issues will accelerate our progress.
Thanks for doing this, Rich On Mon, Mar 25, 2019 at 10:48 AM Daniel Lee <daniel....@eumetsat.int> wrote: > > Dear Jonathan, List, > > I think these changes will be an improvement in how we handle evolving CF. > Your assessment is sound in my eyes and I think these changes will bring > substantial benefits. Thanks for the hard work and attention to detail. > > Cheers, > Daniel > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: CF-metadata <cf-metadata-boun...@cgd.ucar.edu> On Behalf Of > > Jonathan Gregory > > Sent: Friday 22 March 2019 17:58 > > To: cf-metadata@cgd.ucar.edu > > Subject: [CF-metadata] proposed migration of these discussions to GitHub > > > > Dear all > > > > As you know, CF currently uses this email list for discussion of standard > > name > > proposals and all other matters except for proposals to change the > > conventions. > > > > For the latter, we have been using trac for years, but have recently > > completed migration of that function to GitHub. The source of the CF > > conventions document is now in GitHub and version 1.7 was generated from > > it. In future, proposed conventions changes will be discussed as GitHub > > issues on the conventions repository, and the changes in wording will be > > finalised in pull requests. This is convenient because it provides > > continuity > > from the discussion to the modified document. We are due to prepare and > > release version 1.8, freeze trac and publish guidelines for using GitHub in > > future for conventions changes. > > > > One of the reasons this has not yet been done is that it's important to keep > > everyone informed of conventions changes. For a while, postings to the > > GitHub conventions repository were sent to the subscribers to this email > > list, > > but as you remember there were complaints about the amount of traffic, > > and some confusions were caused by people replying to GitHub by email, so > > the email feed was switched off while there was further discussion on the CF > > committee of how to proceed. > > > > Now we would like to present a new proposal, as follows: > > > > * To change to using GitHub for standard name proposals and all other > > matters, as issues in a different repository from the conventions (probably > > called "discuss"). If we make this change, anyone who wishes to make a new > > standard name proposal or start a discussion thread about something else > > will need a GitHub username, and will log on to GitHub and post it there as > > a > > new GitHub issue. This is not difficult (see below). It does not involve > > any of > > the complexity of git for making updates to a repository as this will be a > > place > > solely to hold discussions and keep an archive of them. > > > > * To make sure that all existing subscribers to this list are kept in touch, > > postings to the GitHub issues in the discuss and conventions repositories > > will > > be distributed via email, initially to all subscribers to this email list. > > Their subject lines will begin with [cf-metadata/discuss] and [cf- > > metadata/conventions]. However, it will no longer be possible to reply to > > them on this email list. The archives will be kept and also copied to > > GitHub. To > > comment on a standard name proposal or other discussion, there will be two > > options: > > > > * Either you can log onto GitHub and add to the issue in the discuss > > repository, > > > > * Or you can *unsubscribe* from the broadcast emails (instructions will be > > given for that), and instead *watch* the GitHub discuss repository. That > > means you will receive the updates to issues by email from GitHub, rather > > than via an email list, and you can then reply to GitHub by email. Your > > reply is > > magically posted on GitHub. That facility means that you can carry out a > > discussion of an issue entirely by email, once it's started, not much > > differently from an email list. > > > > We do not wish to lose members of the CF community who are subscribed to > > this list and remain interested in CF. The main reason for my writing this > > now > > is to ask whether there are subscribers who would "leave" us because it's > > off- putting to use GitHub. Please say if that is what you think before 8th > > April. > > > > Among the advantages of making this change are that > > > > * It would allow you to be selective, in that you could chose to be notified > > about conventions but not standard names, or vice-versa, on GitHub. Of > > course, we recommending watching both of them! > > > > * We won't have to maintain a CF email list, which is an administrative > > complexity, especially as we currently have two different lists (for trac > > and > > email), which have to be kept consistent manually. Anyone can join GitHub > > for themselves and watch the CF repositories. > > > > Best wishes and thanks for your interest in CF > > > > Jonathan > > > > > > To get a username on GitHub, go to https://github.com/ and sign up. This is > > free! Once you have a username, you can sign in. > > > > The issues on the CF conventions repository are at > > https://github.com/cf-convention/cf-conventions/issues > > This shows the list of changes to 1.7 which are being discussed. (NB the > > name > > of this repository will probably change, to improve consistency, and this > > is not > > the repository for the standard name discussions, which we have not yet > > created.) If you wanted to start a new issue, which is like a new email > > thread > > e.g. for a standard name proposal, you would click the "New issue" button, > > and get from there to a web form where you type plain text, and then > > "Submit" it. > > > > To comment on an issue (like replying to an email thread) you click on the > > issue, go the bottom of the page, write in the box, and press "Comment". > > > > To receive emails containing comments on any of the issues contributed by > > others, you can "watch" the repository, by clicking on the drop-down menu > > labelled "Watch" at the top of the page, with an icon like an eye. When you > > receive such an email, you can reply to it and your reply will be posted to > > the > > issue. (It tells you at the bottom of the email that you can do this, and > > gives > > you the URL of the comment that's been sent in the the email in case you > > want to do it on GitHub.) > > _______________________________________________ > > CF-metadata mailing list > > CF-metadata@cgd.ucar.edu > > http://mailman.cgd.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/cf-metadata > > Any email message from EUMETSAT is sent in good faith but shall neither be > binding nor construed as constituting a commitment by EUMETSAT, except where > provided for in a written agreement or contract or if explicitly stated in > the email. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this email are > solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of > EUMETSAT. This message and any attachments are intended for the sole use of > the addressee(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any > unauthorised use, disclosure, dissemination or distribution (in whole or in > part) of its contents is not permitted. If you received this message in > error, please notify the sender and delete it from your system. > _______________________________________________ > CF-metadata mailing list > CF-metadata@cgd.ucar.edu > http://mailman.cgd.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/cf-metadata -- Dr. Richard P. Signell (508) 457-2229 USGS, 384 Woods Hole Rd. Woods Hole, MA 02543-1598 _______________________________________________ CF-metadata mailing list CF-metadata@cgd.ucar.edu http://mailman.cgd.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/cf-metadata
