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Subject: Re: apology

Re: apology

From: Antony Stone <Antony.Stone_at_rockbox.open.source.it>
Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:51:12 +0100

On Sunday 21 June 2009 10:05, Paul Louden wrote:

> Christopher Chaltain wrote:
>
> > I've often thought the solution was for someone to set up another
> > mailing list, on Yahoo or Google Groups for example, where their was
> > no list etiquette and posters could just prattle on about whatever
> > they wanted to. That might take away from this list, but it might also
> > save it too.
>
> I've offered this suggestion a few times. In fact, I've thought of the
> "coming into someone's house and taking off shoes" analogy before too,
> and considered using it (maybe I have? I can't rightly remember).
>
> One complaint I've heard with the idea of setting up a new list is that
> it wouldn't have as many of the developers and core "team" on it. I'm
> sad to say this list has lost a significant number of them too because
> of the community's response to their desires for what they want out of
> the list that actually belongs to them.

Everyone seems to accept that the developers (or at least, the people who make
and insist upon the rules in these lists) have the right to set whatever
rules they wish, but I'd like to ask whether they might in fact be better off
relaxing those rules somewhat, and meeting the rest of the people on the list
(ie: those who keep having to be reminded of the rules) halfway?

After all, aren't these lists supposed to be all about Rockbox, making it
better, helping people to use it, and spreading the word that this wonderful
open source project is available for a range of media players?

It seems to me that drawing up a set of list guidelines and enforcing them as
rules, especially in a way (which has been pointed out by several others in
this thread) which doesn't match with the expectations and habits of a large
proportion of the people who want to post to these lists, is not the best way
to encourage widest participation in and enthusiasm about the Rockbox
project.

Of course, if the list maintainers prefer to restrict the lists to people who
follow rules, rather than open them up to as many people who want to use and
potentially contribute to Rockbox as possible, then it's their right to do
so, but I seriously don't think this is in the best interests of the Rockbox
project, and little bit of compromise would be a significant improvement all
round.

So please, etiquette enforcers, consider relaxing the rules and running the
Rockbox lists rather more like many other open source project mailing lists
(I'd be surprised if you're not also on several of those as well, so you know
how unusual Rockbox is in this respect), so that the lists end up focusing on
discussing Rockbox software, how to use it, how to improve it, and how to
encourage people to install it on their players, and not on arbitrary rules
of how to write emails or which list to ask questions on.

By all means ask people to post next time in a different way, or in a
different place, when they make a mistake, but please do so *as well as*
giving them a friendly and helpful answer to their question.

These lists would be a far nicer place for everyone if the focus were
"discussing Rockbox, using these guidelines" rather than "how to use mailing
lists, and this one's for Rockbox".


Regards,


Antony.


-- 
"There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home."
 - Ken Olsen, President of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC, later consumed 
by Compaq, later merged with HP)
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Received on 2009-06-21

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