Good people of Squeak,<div><br></div><div>I've seen a few rounds of discussion around contentious issues. Namespaces are a fantastic example. Some of these issues, (I'll call them Oddballs,) just don't like getting resolved. The pattern is that almost everyone who speaks out has a different idea about how to #doIt. The conversation usually goes in a long circle, and then gets garbage collected when everyone gets too fatigued with the debate to continue it.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Later, often much later, someone posts about the same topic again. Usually it's a newbie who isn't aware of the longstanding debate *raises hand.* Other times it's someone who's been around a little while and is frustrated because the discussion died again *raises hand*. Either way, a message gets sent that creates a new instance of the discussion in question. Many arguments are repeated, and usually the thread runs out of references and is eaten by the GC again.</div>
<div><br></div><div>I often wonder what the silent majority think about Oddball issues. We usually have a very small group of people who are actually compelled to post. I thought we might try using the voting machinery we have set up for board elections as a way of collecting information (polling) about the popularity of various problems we have (or don't actually have but think we have!) in the community. I'm not sure we even need to treat it all that seriously... it would be neat to be able to rank out the popularity of various approaches to e.g. namespaces somehow, though, so I'd know which project to go offer to help hack on.</div>
<div><br></div><div>I'm thinking of this in part after a conversation that happened at the first SSUG meeting. We talked about how we tend to argue in circles in squeak-dev, while the Pharo folk set up a "working group" to make decisions about stuff like this, and then as a result get to make progress, even on issues which are contentious in their community. I don't know if we actually need or want a "working group," whatever that is, but it would be nice to _have a pulse on the desires of the broader Squeak community._</div>
<div><br></div><div>To be clear: I just want to be able to rank the popularity of people's solutions to various problems... not compel anyone to action. When there's two problems a) contention, and b) no workable implementation, it would be nice to get some of the contention out of the way so that I can quit arguing on a mailing list and #doIt.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Thoughts? Love it? Hate it?</div><div><br></div><div>-- <br>Casey Ransberger<br>
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