Daniel John Debrunner wrote: > > Jean T. Anderson wrote: > > > >>The Derby community also maintains an IRC channel on the freenode IRC >>network. You are welcome to stop by: >> >> /server irc.freenode.org >> /join #derby >> >>However, keep in mind that all decisions occur on the Derby mail lists >>and not on IRC. [users info snipped] If developers work >>out a strategy for solving a problem or figure out how something works, >>post that to derby-dev. > > > Maybe we could add some guidelines on how/what to summarize. My > experience in closed source development has been that people summarize > (from meetings) the choosen strategy well, but not the dismissed > alternatives. > > The advantage of open source and discussion on the mailing list is that > the discussions & reasons that led to an approach being discarded are > automatically archived. > > These dismissed alternatives are important for a number of reasons: > > - Helps people understand the choosen solution better, don't have > to spend time asking & answering, "why didn't you consider X, seems a > better solution to me". > > - For off-list discussions, maybe the group of folks active in the > discussion discounted an idea based upon an incorrect assumption, lack > of knowledge, too little coffee, too much beer, too familiar with the > code, lack of time, lack of sleep, ... > > - Someone seeing the discussion has a radical idea that makes a > dismissed alternative a much better solution > > - Someone seeing the discussion adds some knowledge that makes a > dismissed alternative a much better solution > > - Some time later (maybe years) when it turns out the choosen strategy > isn't working out well, it's good to be able to re-visit the > alternatives to see if one of them would work out better. Not having to > re-hash all the old dismissal reasons is a huge benefit. Better than, "I > have no idea why we didn't do X".
these are really good points and mostly targets oversight issues (I think, please correct me if I misunderstood). Does the revision below succinctly capture what needs to be conveyed? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Communication Channels ====================== The primary mechanism for Derby communication is the mailing lists. Anyone can participate, no matter what their time zone. The ASF maintains a reliable searchable archive of past discussions. Oversight is enabled. Many eyes ensures that the project evolves in a consistent direction. The main channel for development is the "derby-dev" mailing list. The main channel for user support is the "derby-user" mailing list. As is usual with mailing lists, be prepared to wait for an answer. The Derby community also maintains an IRC channel on the freenode IRC network. You are welcome to stop by: /server irc.freenode.org /join #derby However, keep in mind that all decisions occur on the Derby mail lists and not on IRC. Please summarize any off-list knowledge gained and post it for the benefit of all. For example, if a user asks a question and gets a response, post that exchange to derby-user. If developers work out a strategy for solving a problem, post a summary to derby-dev, including alternatives that were considered but ultimately dismissed and why. If developers figure out how something works, post a summary of the finding to derby-dev. In all cases, additional eyes can catch any errors, point out any subtleties, and fill in additional information. The more discussions are on-list, the more the rest of the community will benefit from the understanding that is developed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- thanks for the feedback, -jean
