[documentation] Hitchhikers guide to Drupal

[Charlie Lowe]

Dries Buytaert wrote:
> 
> On 07 Jan 2006, at 02:52, Robert Castelo wrote:
> 
>>> -1 for "hitchhikers" which sounds parasitic
>>
>>
>> Do most people really think of hitchhikers as 'parasites'?
> 
> 
> I'm OK with 'hitchhiker'.  It doesn't sound negative to me.  Not at  
> all.  It makes me think of an adventurous traveler, which is exactly  
> what you need to be to explore Drupal. ;-)


That's one of the problems with this page. It's sort of disingenuous. 
The idea of a "Hitchhiker's guide to the Drupal community" would lead 
one to believe that here is everything one needs to know about working 
with Drupal. It starts off with a welcome, but then becomes clear later 
on that the main/only purpose of this text is to admnonish new users not 
to make demands, and it does this by screaming the text out in all bold.

It also attributes some very altrusitic motives to the Drupal community, 
talking about "generosity" and "service." There is no doubt that many 
people do contribute to Drupal because being part of a community is a 
motivational factor. But there are plenty of non-selfless reason for 
contributing (see "The Boston Consulting Group Hacker Survey" for one 
explanation of motivational factors).

Then there is this sentence,

"All that is asked of you is that you appreciate the time and effort 
that others have put into Drupal on your behalf, and that you abide by 
one basic rule of etiquette."

First off, the statement "on your behalf" is highly questinable. The 
original version of this text, as well as some of the opinions expressed 
in this conversation, have already made clear that some do not see the 
value of having these "hitchhikers" (implying, of course, that they are 
parasites), that Drupal does not need them and will get along fine 
without them. And certainly, development of a public commons good is one 
motivational factor, but not the most significant one for a community 
who, as Boris has pointed out, is about making better software. The fact 
that Drupal has "no cost" is a necessary component of this collaborative 
development model from which contributors greatly benefit

When coupled with the idea that the hitchhiker should "appreciate the 
time and effort of others" with this use of the word "behalf" and 
consider it in light of the use of the phrases "benefiting from the 
generosity" and those "who do not deserve," it becomes clear what this 
page is really about: don't annoy those who feel like they deserve 
better appreciation. This ironic demand for others to not demand is more 
about stroking the egos of developers ("the developers" is directly 
referenced) than anything else.

For these reasons, I'd be much in favor of seeing Angie's piece "Enact 
change within the Drupal community" further developed since it is much 
more constructive about how to participate in Drupal and focuses on how 
to collaborate and work together better.

Charlie Lowe