On Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:36:34 +0100
Steve Long <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Marijn Schouten (hkBst) wrote:
> > Perhaps we also need to make it more clear where users can ask such
> > Gentoo-specific questions about specific packages, so they don't
> > need to go and annoy upstream.
In #gentoo we *regularly* send users upstream. We tend *not* to refer
them to #upstream when it's a matter of installation, which would
always be Gentoo's turf and therefore our responsibility. We only
suggest users seek help upstream when they are grappling with runtime
configuration issues or issues that are too complex to handle in a busy
channel.
> > Associate an irc-channel with each package.
Associate how? Sounds like a lot of work at the least and a lot of
cruft at the worst.
> > Most packages have a herd associated with them which can
> > belong to a project which could have an irc-channel where the
> > relevant developers could be found and which can put common
> > problems in its topic.
That is the way things are now. Formalising this seems redundant.
> > Fallback for when no appropriate irc-channel can be found would be
> > #gentoo.
#gentoo is and always has been the fallback. :)
> > Currently it is usually difficult to find such irc-channels or to
> > know if there is none and that your only option is #gentoo or
> > #$upstream.
No problem. Just come and help out in #gentoo. Lots of users giving
lots of other users helpful suggestions as to how and where they can
get their problems solved. We don't need metastructures, just people
talking to each other.
> I think it's a great idea to have an irc-channel associated with each
> herd/ package.
At least from the IRC side, it just doesn't work that way. You can open
channels all you like and find that nobody ever goes there, and
instead everybody turns up in the same channel. :)
What most people do is drop a question in #gentoo. If an issue might
take too much time to resolve in #gentoo, we suggest other channels to
ask in, mainly those mentioned in [1].
> Certainly it took me a while to find #gentoo-desktop which is busier
> than #gentoo-kde.
You could have asked in #gentoo. :)
> The fallback should be #gentoo-dev-help however, wrt to questions
> about changing ebuilds, imo.
The current fallback is #gentoo and I cannot see how you could ever
change that. You cannot force people to (not) use certain channels and
you cannot force them to use/follow whatever link it is you are putting
in place.
The solution to the problem of upstream only wanting to
talk about compile time configuration issues with people who know
sufficiently well what they are doing, i.e. developers, is not a
technical one, but a social one. If you want to help solve this
problem, just talk to people, help out in #gentoo, and educate both
users and upstream about the way Gentoo (Linux) and Portage work, and
more generally, how to find the information you need without pissing
everybody off. :)
Kind regards,
JeR
[1] http://www.gentoo.org/main/en/irc.xml
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