On Jul 15, 2012, at 4:06 PM, Kay Schenk wrote: > On Sun, Jul 15, 2012 at 3:03 PM, Joe Schaefer <joe_schae...@yahoo.com>wrote: > >> The beauty of it is that you are only exposed to a level of complexity >> consummate with the task at hand. Making modest changes to a webpage >> with the CMS is quick and largely painless. The most difficult aspect >> of the entire exercise is figuring out how and where to put the bookmarklet >> in your collection of bookmarks. >> >> >> The only thing unique tothe www.openoffice.org site is that given the >> size of the tree it takesnearly a minute or so for svn to update itself >> when pulling in changesto build, which can be confusing for new people >> anxious to see the effects of their changes. The builds themselves are >> very >> fast;it's the svn ops that are relatively time consuming. >> >> Making site-wide changes requires a much deeper understanding of how >> >> the system as a whole works. But for a task like this, as Dave said >> it can be accomplished in a handful of minutes. Everything is reversible >> since it's all version controlled, so it's not possible to make a >> catastrophic fuck-up. >> >> >> With basic website management technologies at the ASF, you don't have >> a wide range of choices. If the CMS is unappealing the other options >> will be less so, which is why most projects who have adopted the CMS >> are satisfied with it. It's not pretty, and is very simple and basic >> technology-wise without reams of code behind it, but it gets the job done. >> >> Let me not go without saying that yes, all contributions are welcome, >> and yes Hagar made a valuable contribution to the project by raising >> the issue and getting someone to apply the right fix. I'm trying to >> raise a higher-level issue here about how things "could have gone", >> had Hagar figured out how to use the CMS well enough to accomplish >> this himself. The upshot is that one more person has a core skill >> that can work to the project's benefit, which is a good thing for all >> concerned. >> >> No one can force someone to do something they don't want to do for >> whatever reason, but at the same time don't expect that sort of >> activity to hold up to scrutiny as model behavior. Sysadmins are >> known for calling out people on that sort of thing, not to demean >> them, but to discuss it with an aim towards improvement. That's all >> I've tried to do here. >> > > Well I will throw my .02 in here. At first, I was quite leary of the CMS > bookmarklet but have now learned to truly appreciate it. It does eliminate > a rather painful svn checkout and all that goes with that. > For the websites, it is truly wonderful! So, thanks from me.
I examined my local checkout via svn up. At least 20 different people committed changes to the ooo-site since 3.4 was released. I think that is a very good sign. > My biggest challenges seem to be dealing with mdtext if you want to know > the truth. The main limitations have more to do with less flexibility with style and layout vs. html. We've had a few people make changes in templates but those were simple cases. > OK, onward. I do fully understand the "fear" factor in much of this though. Dive in the bookmarklet gives just enough feedback with html so that you can't goof it up too much! Regards, Dave > > >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: Dennis E. Hamilton <dennis.hamil...@acm.org> >>> To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org; 'Joe Schaefer' <joe_schae...@yahoo.com >>> >>> Cc: >>> Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 5:40 PM >>> Subject: RE: Java download link on AOO site >>> >>> I think the situation would have been different if the web site were >> being >>> created from scratch at this time. Instead it was a heavy migration job >>> accomplished by a few people. That means there are very few people with >>> hands-on experience maintaining the web pages. There are many folks who >> know >>> how to handle static sites, but they then get to learn that this isn't >> one >>> of those. >>> >>> Also, when the migration was happening, I don't think there was much of a >>> CMS meme. The challenge was more about how the deployment mechanism >> worked from >>> SVN through the robots to pending and then published pages. Probably the >> folks >>> such as Dave Fisher who dealt with the templates a great deal learned >> more of >>> it, and I know a few people understand how to use the bookmarklet >> properly and >>> understand what the effect will be. >>> >>> I think this reveals some of the difficulties of toolcraft promulgation >> in a >>> headless structure. Not many folks even know what the tools are and >> what the >>> connection is between the ASF CMS and what effect they want to have on >> pages. >>> >>> So, there is self-interest, and there is scratching-an-itch, and there is >>> overcoming whatever friction/inertia that makes a diversion into >> learning a >>> custom system appealing. ... Or not. >>> >>> I know I don't get to decide for them. I can only appreciate what comes >> up >>> based on my own experience. >>> >>> - Dennis >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Joe Schaefer [mailto:joe_schae...@yahoo.com] >>> Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 13:18 >>> To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org; dennis.hamil...@acm.org >>> Subject: Re: Java download link on AOO site >>> >>> There is an interesting dialectic here between acting with "enlightened >>> self-interest" and being entirely selfish. All I have suggested >> throughout >>> this episode is that the project be egalitarian towards its website >> assets >>> and expect all committers to abide by the same set of expectations >> (which means >>> everyone is expected to at least TRY to follow the documentation others >> have >>> generously provided). Remember, the prerequisite skills here are an >> ability >>> to follow instructions combined with a familiarity of how links are >> created in >>> html pages. Nothing more is required, and as Hagar has figured out how >> to use >>> Roller, I'm guessing he has the requisite knowledge about html. >>> >>> >>> Only those who expect special treatment beyond the expected normsof the >> project >>> should be offended by what I'm saying. Yeswe all have a DUTYto act in >> ways >>> that aligned with community expectations-no peeing in the communitypool >> please. >>> >>> After all Apache operates these assets in the model of an intellectual >> commons >>> that everyone should treat with an appropriate amount of respect towards >> each >>> other >>> and the org. >>> >>> >>> I haveoften described my role in this org as akin to being a park >> ranger, and we >>> all know how well the average citizen pays attention to the rules of the >> park. >>> >>> I haverefrained from using any labels here other than to say that the >> behavior I >>> amquestioning is less than model behavior. Yet I have received a lot of >> flak >>> and not a lot of rationale behind the defense of that behavior. That >> people >>> unfamiliar with the documentation see nothing wrong with what Hagar >> offers here >>> is not surprising, those people aren't going to read and apply it >> either. >>> Oh >>> well, it's your community folks. >>> >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: Dennis E. Hamilton <dennis.hamil...@acm.org> >>>> To: 'Joe Schaefer' <joe_schae...@yahoo.com>; >>> ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org >>>> Cc: >>>> Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 4:00 PM >>>> Subject: RE: Java download link on AOO site >>>> >>>> >>>> <orcnote comment="below" /> >>>> >>>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: Joe Schaefer [mailto:joe_schae...@yahoo.com] >>>> Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 12:00 >>>> To: dennis.hamil...@acm.org; ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org >>>> Subject: Re: Java download link on AOO site >>>> >>>> The thing is Dennis, it is self-defeating for the org to fund my work >>>> on the CMS to make it a more effective collaboration tool for Apache >>>> communities if projects don't start expecting committers and end users >>>> alike to take advantage of it. If this is the new norm, where >> application >>>> of project documentation is no longer expected for Apachedev-list >>> participation, >>>> then I'll adjust my plans accordingly. I do know that Infra would >>> never >>>> survive with only 3-4 staffers if we didn't expect committers to >>>> read/apply/critique/fixour documentation. >>>> >>>> >>>> Whether it is difficultto use the CMSor super easy makes no difference >>>> to anyoneif only a select few areexpectedto even try. >>>> >>>> >>>> [ ... ] >>>> >>>> <orcnote> >>>> >>>> I find this very strange in an open-source context. The expectation >> that >>> there >>>> is an eager or required group of users seems odd. How was that >> arrived at? >>>> >>>> I also find it strange to project a duty onto volunteers. Most >> volunteers >>> get >>>> to choose what their duties are. >>>> >>>> - Dennis >>>> >>>> Notes from my personal, narrow perspective on how I deal with finding >>>> low-friction, high-payoff places to put my attention and energy: >>>> >>>> I am not adverse to "build-it-and-they-might-come" development >>>> (because if I don't they definitely won't), but not with any >>> expectation >>>> that there are any people anxiously waiting to dog-food my efforts. >> That >>> means >>>> I seek satisfaction in the effort itself, without much expectation >> beyond >>> that >>>> beyond a hope of being of some use to others. I also don't expect >>> anyone to >>>> pay me for such self-indulgence on my part. >>>> >>>> With regard to the ASF CMS, the only thing I know about it is the >> on-list >>>> encouragement of folks to use a bookmark that makes editing the web >> site >>>> easier. I know nothing more than that. I don't even know what browser >>> the >>>> bookmark may be limited to (nor am I in a hurry to find out). >>>> >>>> There are many more things that I know how to do that are where I will >> put >>> my >>>> attention more readily. >>>> >>>> I've not learned MarkDown, for example, because I never needed to >>> before, >>>> although I can fake wikiText well enough, and learn little bits more as >>> needed >>>> in dealing with a particular wiki format. Meanwhile, I have many ways >> to >>> edit >>>> (web) pages in an SVN Working Copy. But the ASF site-publishing >> process >>> and the >>>> way pages are merged on the site is still something I haven't picked-up >>> on. >>>> I will eventually learn MarkDown more systematically because I want to >> pay >>>> closer attention to Ward Cunningham's Smallest-Federated-Wiki, not >>> because >>>> it is used underneath anything at the ASF. I may end up supporting >> SFW it >>> on a >>>> site of my own. For that, MarkDown gets more of my attention. >>>> >>>> I only managed to write Apache OO(i) blog posts by finding out how to >> use >>>> Windows LiveWriter to compose them off-line and publish them >>> automatically. >>>> Although I got the required use of drafts wrong, I have succeeded in >> making >>> >>>> posts the way I know best and that serve some personal requirements >> that I >>> have >>>> around blog authoring. >>>> >>>> I also refused to give up maintaining an AOO(i) roster and >> committer-intake >>> >>>> tracker in OpenOffice Calc when folks complained that there are no >> diffs >>> for >>>> commits to that binary-format document. Instead, I make sure that the >>> commit >>>> messages describe what was changed or added for those who want to >> follow >>> along >>>> via reading commit messages. >>>> >>>> In all cases, it is about finding ways to get the work done that I have >>> taken >>>> on, not on diversions into toolcraft. It's different when >>> everything's >>>> new. That's not where I find myself these days. >>>> >>>> </orcnote> >>>> >>> >> > > > > -- > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > MzK > > "I would rather have a donkey that takes me there > than a horse that will not fare." > -- Portuguese proverb
