[development] Encouraging Collaboration

[Dries Buytaert]

>> Correct.  Bear in mind that there always have been growing pains, and
>> that there always will be growing pains.  It's perfectly normal.
>> What matters is how we counter the growing pains.
>
> agreed. However as the speed of growth accelerates it will place new
> strains on the community - IMHO.

Sure.  As we grow bigger, the challenges we face grow bigger too.  It  
isn't any different in life.  When you are a kid, the challenges you  
face look big (eg. making it through high school, getting grades,  
breaking up with a girlfriend) but when you reflect on them at later  
age, they are peanuts.  At later age, you have bigger challenges  
(getting a job, running a company, paying a loan, taking care of your  
family).  It hasn't been any different in Drupal's lifecycle.  To me,  
growing is learning to deal with bigger challenges (or growing pains).


>> 3. Who is this product for?  Drupal is for users who want to setup a
>> website _and_ for developers who need a platform.
>
> That's reasonable - but pretty ambitious.  There aren't many products
> out there that are developers tools as well as non-web developers
> tools.  As a matter of fact I can't think of any off hand at all.   
> This
> doesn't mean that Drupal can't do it - it just means that it is new
> territory (the fun kind).

I don't think it is ambitious; it is merely logical.  If we focus on  
making Drupal a great developer platform, then that implies that  
other developers use it to make products.  If they can or have to  
make products using Drupal, we should be able to make a base product  
too, shouldn't we?  In fact, by making a base product, we get better  
understanding of the shortcomings.  Furthermore, by being (or  
attracting) both users and developers we have our own feedback loop.   
As you said, it makes for a much more interesting situation and a  
diverse community.  I'd say that is how most -- if not all -- open  
source communities work so there are actually plenty of examples out  
there.

(It is also why I fundamentally disagree with the stuff Ber wrote  
about making a choice and giving up one aspect.)

--
Dries Buytaert  ::  http://www.buytaert.net/