On Mar 19, 2011, at 11:45 AM, Angela Byron wrote:
Now, since there's really no way to quantify data around this, it's difficult to say what percentage of this lack of contributors phenomenon was related to this policy change, what was the "post-code freeze blues", how much of it is steeper requirements to get a core patch in (e.g. tests, subsystem maintainer sign-off), how much of it is the fact that certain members of our community were paid to care about bugs (e.g. Acquians and Examiner.comians) and others weren't, or what exactly the breakdown there was. I'm sure all of these, and more, were factors.
I'm only one, but for me its the steeper patch requirements that keep me away, although the migration of core dev activity away from this list has had a lot to do with it too. Last time I dove into reviewing core patches is when Karoly called me out to do so on this list. IRC will never work for me given the time zone/immediacy issues already sited. I really hope all the core developers have not in fact left this list. but another reason that I am not more involved in core is that when I do stick a toe in, I am often completely ignored as a non-core contributer. I am David Metzler: * I maintain 3 modules (not top 100 by far) * Am a paying member of the Drupal Foundation * Hang out on the support list every day * Have been a professional software developer since 1990. * Rock rating 5 - Have been rocking since 2005. Really, couldn't we just try putting some language that tells people that new developer questions should go to support, and then try and recultivate this development list? All is not lost. We still do have a thriving culture here. And I don't feel slighted here. I just wanted to make a point. Part of it is you don't get new core contributers from the newbies. You get them from cultivating the people who are already contributing in some other way. (and perhaps allowing newbies to SEE that cultivation).