Hackathons for Apache projects are nothing new. Hbase has had several. Zookeeper has had several.
Other modes of communication are also commonly used. Hbase has ongoing discussions on IRC. Lucene does as well. Mahout does as well. Pretty much all of these discussions are then reported for further discussion on the mailing list (if they have any merit). None of this detracts from the fact that these communities finds these alternative styles of meeting very useful. The fact is that these meetings *are* very useful. Email is limited as an interaction medium. Multiple media for interaction are very helpful. Drawing a picture on the whiteboard is very helpful. Of course, if it doesn't happen on the list it didn't happen is the motto, but it is still very useful to have people meet each other, bond and push ideas around. These same people should then go back to the list for followup discussions. Calling it a "get-together", "hackathon", "design meeting" or whatever doesn't change the fact that people will talk about design ideas (just as they might in a bar or at home if they happen to live with one another or at work if they work together) and that we who are there in person will do our best to include remote viewers and listeners. The fact that some people met face to face also doesn't change the fact that actual decisions will be made on the mailing list. So Bernd, to put it concretely, what do you talk about at ApacheCon when you go? On Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 10:13 PM, Bernd Fondermann < [email protected]> wrote: > > I think a mix of modalities including face to face talks is very helpful. > > It is absolutely true that we have to work hard to avoid > disenfranchising > > non-local project participants, but I have gained tremendously over the > > years from Apache oriented get-togethers. > > "get-together" sounds differently than "desin meeting". >
