[development] Intelligent use of time (Re: Perm for setting RTBC

[Augustin (Beginner)]

On Tuesday 03 July 2007 01:29, Gerhard Killesreiter wrote:
> > 1) won't fix 2 issues for 4.6

This actually illustrates my point. 
Once an issue is in the RTBC queue, every other developper assumes it is your 
responsibility to deal with.

It took only 26 weeks to "won't fix" patches for a version that has not been 
supported for I forgot how many months.


> > and all of a sudden there are only 3 pages left...

For this particular queue, that's still 2.5 too many.
http://drupal.org/project/issues?page=2&projects=3060&states=14

> > The problem isn't so much that the core committers can't go through the
> > many patches, the problem is that they are a bit shy to change status on
> > stuff that doesn't belong there...

?

> it takes simply time and _work_ to make it [the queue] shorter. 

Again, I thoroughly agree and that's precisely the point. 
The aim was to unload the few people at the top that are the most overworked 
of us all. 

About 'time': not everybody is able (or willing) to spend the number of hours 
that you spend on Drupal everyday.
I am not. I can't. Sorry.

I was very active in the core issue queue for the D5 release. 
But there are obvious systemic problems, and this (together with other 
unrelated reasons) is why I decided to pass for the D6 cycle. 

Instead, I decided to use the little time I personally can devote to Drupal, 
and concentrate on contrib modules, where my work can be more effective. 

It is regretable that the people who would have most benefited from using this 
simple perm (the 5 core commiters), are also the ones who speak the most 
strongly against it (2 of them, at least). 

I am not one who usually say anything in "color of the bikeshed" threads. I 
dislike empty meta-talk as much as many of you. 
That's why tonight I started my contributions on this list with writting up a 
stub for some docs that many have been speaking about (here and on IRC) 
during the last day or two.
Unfortunately, so far no one has made any attempt at improving my early draft.
http://drupal.org/node/156119/revisions

Anyway, since you seem unwilling to admit that there is a systemic problem, I 
guess I'll carry on keeping out core, and stay in contrib instead. 

And precisely because, as you say, it takes "time" (a lot!) and "work" to deal 
with the queue, I was eager to find solutions to make *better use* of 
everyone's time. 

You seem to favor brute force. I'd rather have a system that makes an 
intelligent use of our time.


You may not remember, but I was the author of the 10 bi-monthly "Short issue 
queue need care" dev-newsletter thing (precisely during the D5 release cycle, 
during which I reviewed many patches). 
The idea was a patch represents someone's time. I try to respect everyone's 
time and not only my own. Those patches represent thousands of man-hours!! 
46 pages' worth of developers' time:
http://drupal.org/project/issues?projects=3060&states=8,13,14,15
I cry for the dozens of developers' wasted labor, when I see this list.
I was trying to help the community focus on small parts of it, with the dream 
that less developer-hours get wasted. 



Your answer to this is: work more, spend more time. 
And you basically say "shut up" to people who propose systemic changes so that 
time is spent more wisely. 


To tell the truth, right before Dries replied in this thread, I had decided I 
wanted to roll a patch fix the bug that Derek mentioned just earlier:
http://drupal.org/node/121265
But since you have decided not to use this feature, I guess I'll just shut up 
for good, go back to core-lurkdom and keep to contrib-land.  



I am always for deep systemic changes that try to tackle the root of the 
problem,
whether on this list,
or about politics:
http://minguo.info/election_methods (which uses outline.module) 
or about sexuality:
http://www.reuniting.info/

But I guess we don't all see the world in the world in the same way. :) I 
guess that's ok, too.



I wish good luck to all the other developers who are trying to to push for 
systemic changes bigger than my tiny proposal for Drupal dev.



Good night,

Augustin.







-- 
http://www.wechange.org/
Because we and the world need to change.
 
http://www.reuniting.info/
Intimate Relationships, peace and harmony in the couple.