Marc,
I had a few ideas about how to make JBoss more self managing and make
it easier for more people to help. I think one of the problems the
95% of unutilized people have is that even a small �task� is very
difficult to accomplish in the context of a large system. Also
before the 95% gets frustrated and gives up, they take up your time.
I think that these both of these problems could be solved by creating
a simple interactive system to allow people to exchange source code
and specifications. Here�s how it might work...
Developers would be divided into two groups: designers (experienced
Jboss developers that have RW CVS access) and programmers (everyone
else). When a designer needed to accomplish a task they would break
it down into detailed specifications (descriptions, test cases, uml
diagrams) for methods or classes and enter them into the system along
with �deadlines�. Then they would work on something else or take a
break and wait for programmers to write the code. When a programmer
wanted to help out they would go into the system, look at the
outstanding micro-tasks, write the code for it, and submit it to the
system. The designer would then come back around the �deadline�,
grab any code that the programmers wrote, integrate it into JBoss,
and write any unfinished code themselves.
Designers could also assign �points� to micro-tasks to entice
programmers to help. Programmers could put on there resume �Received
18574 JBoss programmer points�. The system could even automatically
promote a programmer (i.e. send them a CVS password) to a designer
when they reached so many points.
I don�t think this methodology is too radical - it�s basically using
standard methodologies in a collaborative environment. It would make
it easy for anyone to contribute code, even if they only had a
limited amount of spare time. It would also allow anyone to
contribute without taking up any of your time. Does anyone think
this could work?
Jason
--- marc fleury <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Peter,
>
> I don't have a lot of time on my hands but your posts does beg for
> an
> answer.
>
> Organizing Open Source development is the tougher thing I have ever
> done.
> Forget development of the kernel (even though that is no walk in
> the park
> either).
>
> I am now in a "management" position where I usually work 15h a day,
> just
> talking to people and trying to organize stuff. Communication on
> the
> website, organization of the new doco, 2.1 stabilization, lawyer
> papers,
> possible deals, recruitment of new members, board communication,
> news,
> patches, egos it is all a big pot of "stuff" that I need to do.
>
> It is so bad, that I really burned out in december, i had to take a
> week off
> because there is a price to pay to try and make sense of the whole
> thing.
> IT is MUCH worse now, for SOME reason the whole thing exploded and
> I have
> 1138 unread mails on jboss-user (serious). Not only that but I
> have
> invested $100k of my own money to make it work (and much more from
> my
> father in ex-Telkel). That money is gone and it adds to my stress
> and
> "Todo" list.
>
> I am still running with it as much as I can, and frankly I grow
> accustomed
> to the pressure the thousand of little things as well as "long
> term"
> development that needs to happen.
>
> I invite you to step in my shoes for a second, and sit in front of
> the
> "management console" and see how long you can take it. Can you
> Keep the
> Kernel in your mind and Keep the organization going. It is a bit
> like air
> traffic control.
>
> So how does it work? well I understand that OSS is a "Beehive"
> people come
> and go, I get about 2-3 "I want to help " messages *per-day* of
> these maybe
> 5% really stay on. Should I make more efforts to bring that number
> up? I
> could. But what I am really looking for is "self maintaince" as an
> OSS
> quality, persistence is another one. I recognized "good faith",
> gave you a
> rw passwd if I remember correctly (we give many of these these
> days), and
> basically told you "Tu te demerdes t'es legionnaire" (french saying
> that
> says "Find your way out of this hell, You are a foreign legionnaire
> now").
> If you felt you were not assisted enough, I am sorry to hear it and
> I am
> curious to know what would help, since we DO need to have more
> people
> staying around than 5%.
>
> BUT UNDERSTAND MY POSITION, I need to find "self maintaining" (IE
> SCALABLE)
> ways of managing that crazy beehive, we are creating something new
> as I
> believe we are outgrowing the "linux model" (modular is NOT
> enough). No
> modular is not enough, obviously we need more following, more
> management,
> more "TODO" lists, more "STATUS" lists, more "HELP NEEDED" lists,
> etc etc.
>
> The final point on "make noise and you will be heard" well yes,
> until you
> make too much noise. But "el que no llora no mama" (spanish saying
> that
> goes "he who doesn't cry doesn't get to breast feed"). I am a mama
> with
> many many cubs... I don't mean to hurt ANYBODY's feelings, really.
> You came
> in good faith, you got fed up for lack of following, help me find
> "scalable"
> ways to follow you...
>
> ok?
>
> marc
>
>
> |-----Original Message-----
> |From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> |[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Peter Shillan
> |Sent: Friday, February 02, 2001 2:49 AM
> |To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> |Subject: RE: [jBoss-Dev] <sigh> any response PLEASE?
> |
> |
> |Hi Guys,
> |
> |This is the first thing I've written for a *long* time, but this
> |thread has
> |inspired me to commit something... :-D
> |
> |I tried to get involved in jBoss a long time ago. To protect the
> |innocent I
> |won't name names or teams, but here is (roughly) what happened:
> |
> |1) I asked to participate and was gladly accepted.
> |
> |2) I was assigned to a couple of teams but given no other
> instructions.
> |
> |3) I had a couple of E-Mails between the other guys, but these
> stopped
> |fairly quickly.
> |
> |4) I asked what I should do and got told to just 'follow along'.
> |The problem
> |with this of course was that no one told me there was a mailing
> |list for the
> |tasks I needed to put my name on and it was not made clear in any
> |other way.
> |
> |5) No one contacted me to find out if I was dead or alive and I
> |didn't know
> |what was going on.
> |
> |6) I got fed up and stopped trying to find out.
> |
> |7) I saw the tasks I was meant to be working on were finished.
> |
> |Now I am new to all this open-source and I'm perfectly prepared to
> accept
> |that much of this was or could have been my fault. The question
> |is, though,
> |that no one really wanted to help me get into it and no one was
> |prepared to
> |try to extend a hand. I am a good programmer and love jBoss and
> the
> |principles behind it. I would love to have been involved and cut
> |some of the
> |code.
> |
> |Since someone began talking about attitude, perhaps someone can
> |explain the
> |attitude of people who should be doing everything reasonable to
> encourage,
> |welcome and help people - pointing them in the right direction. I
> realise
> |this takes time, but if it's a time you are not prepared to spend,
> you are
> |in the wrong role. I also have experience of E-Mails to the list
> going
> |un-answered until something more... shall we say... *direct* was
> written.
> |
> |Let's not get bitchy... we are professionals. All I'm saying is
> that you
> |could get a lot more help to write the thing if the atmosphere was
> |a little
> |more supportive and embracing, in my own opinion.
> |
> |Peter Shillan.
>
|_________________________________________________________________________
> |Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at
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> |
> |
>
>
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