On Thu, 29 Jul 2004, Stefano Mazzocchi wrote: ..snipped inspiring text about using SNV features and perhaps changing things so it fits our patterns better now that we 'can'. ...
> My proposal is to create a private branch for every committer that wants > it and place it in > > http://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/cocoon/private/[id] > > 1) allow people to experiment in their own place > 2) allow stuff to happen without giving the impression that it is a > "fork" or that the status quo is in danger > 3) give the feeling of some privacy This would worry me somewhat; within the ASF we try to help the community develop software and value that a project survive an individuals slant on it. It is the fact that the whole community follows all commits (by and large), there is comprehensive peer review and that the whole community stands behind a release which gives the ASF code that unique slant on quality and liability. Encouraging[*] this would in my opinion: -> give rise to personal slants -> allow certain takes of the code to be less of a group product; but instead to be driven by 1 or 2 individuals -> increase the risk that a wholesale chunk of code which is developed without sufficient peer review is subsequently introduced into the main brach without enough appropriate oversight by the whole community. which seems contrary to a certain spirit I personally hold dear when it comes to the ASF. A more neutral name; say 'note pad', 'scratrchpad' or 'skunk works' would perhaps be more appropriate; as one stresses that it is people working _together_ that counts. Finally I personally would expect that -if- the ASF see a situation where significant chunks of code are developed outside the normal main peer reviewed track, and see such chunks suddenly imported in a main branch -then- I do expect a discussion about exactly what peer review and oversight is, and what the limits between 2.0 license, CLA and a Software Grant really is. Dw *: Of course we would never disallow this. People can always make their own private forks.