Regarding the quality of this mailing list

[Marc Heyvaert]

Hello Joost and all,

Quite an interesting discussion we had here lately :)

--- Joost De Cock <joost.decock at astrid.be> wrote:
> 
> Since I'm a user (who wants to become a developer)
> who's currently trying to 
> build KDE from CVS, I'd like to get a clear view on
> the do and do not  on the 
> list.
> Carlos has helped me out _A LOT_ lately, but I can't
> help feeling guilty for 
> posting my cvs build questions after Kenny's
> remarks.
> 

I think that some remarks that were made were somewhat
exagerated. I've had a look at the archives and after
all the amount of traffic on this list has been
relatively low, so I see no reason to impose very
strict guidelines.

The problem with some developers lists is that they
are already very specialised + they're mostly there
for 'coders'. Someone who wants to contribute to KDE,
who is perhaps a complete beginner, just having
installed linux from a Keep It Simple distro like SuSE
or Mandrake, will need a helping hand, or walk away.
Developers lists do not offer this kind of help.

The people that are involved with the KDE-Quality team
tend to keep an eye on the broader picture and they
try to point out those areas that need more work in
order to improve the overall quality of KDE as a
desktop solution. Judging from the list this 'quality'
movement could use some more momentum, but the list
does not tell everything. Webpages have been created,
wikipages are there for whomever wants to consult or
share information, and I am conviced that bit by bit
the whole KDE project will be more accessible for
volunteers who want to help improving it.

> So, is it ok for a user (albeit one who's ambition
> is to contribute to the project) to turn to this
> list for help, and if it isn't, is there any other 
> place to turn to?
> 

I think it is ok to ask for help on this list. But
perhaps we should forward certain questions to lists
that are more appropiate, or even forward questions to
people on other lists that may be willing to help.

> 
> An example, just today I was told (by who else then
> Carlos):
> >compiling just before 
> >the freeze is always hard :) People are running to
> beat the deadline, and it 
> >is an error prone process. I can't compile kdelibs
> right now as well (for >another reason).
> 

IMO a mailing list serves also the community that is
participating. So if I have a problem and I think that
'my buddies' on this list may be able to help (and it
is broadly KDE related of course :) ), I don't see why
I shouldn't be allowed to post. Unless of course we
are speaking of a 20+ msg a day list. Being active on
a list helps you to get to know the others, it builds
a community sense, you are better informed about what
the others are doing, it leads to private exchanges
too and it can help to activate the IRC channel....

So you've gathered that I am against to strict
guidelines and moderating in general :)

As for your problem with compiling KDE from CVS...For
most work you don't need the latest version. I rarely
compile all modules from CVS (at least at once). The
problem is that there is always one module that will
give you trouble. I think that for most work you could
easily start with the current BETA and stick with it
for a while, just compiling from CVS the module that
you are working on.

Marc




	
		
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