[Squeakfoundation]Re: [SqF][Modules] IMPORTANT: Progress report and changes

[squeakfoundation@lists.squeakfoundation.org]

Henrik Gedenryd <h.gedenryd@open.ac.uk> wrote:
[SNIP]
> >From the beginning this has been meant as a collaborative project. Dozens
> and dozens of people on this list have talked about how important this
> project is. Still, contributions have been minimal. By contributions I mean
> stuff that has the quality to go into the update stream.

There are a few reasons but I understand your frustration.

> Recently I also heard veteran Squeakers say that they intentionally take a
> wait-and-see approach, hoping that "problems will go away". I know of no
> facility that makes problems go away by themselves.

Hopefully this was not meant as it sounds.

> I also see people posting lists of things they want, with no commitment to
> contribute them. Who do you expect to write this code? I think I know the
> answer to that.
> 
> Even though I've been very clear that I only have minor opportunities to
> work more on this, people seem to expect me to do all the work. Let me state
> this again: I will not do any more work on the modules.
> 
> To make this clear, I resign from the SqF modules project now with immediate
> effect. Hopefully this will make the point to people that I will not drive
> this forward in the future. Do not expect me to make any more contributions.
> If you want this to move forward you have to do the work. I will not do it.
> I have already done much more than I committed to do when I started. I have
> no interest in programming modules, other than that I want to use the
> results, much like others here. I do not enjoy doing this work. I especially
> do not like the slandering and backstabbing that has occurred, sometimes
> from people who I thought more of. It is time for the rest of the Squeak
> community to put their money where their mouths are, or where they have been
> in the past at least.
> 
> I believe that the result of this will be that no further contributions are
> made, and the effort will die, in spite of all the promises and all the
> talk. Please prove me wrong.
>
> Henrik

Henrik, you have done a great job and I don't think anyone will hold any
grudge against you for stepping down!

And I don't think it will die - people are joining up slowly, but they
are (it seems to me) joining up. The problem with this kindof stuff is
that it is HARD. I have been looking through parts of the code and I
consider myself to be of "normal competence" and even though the code is
good it can be quite hard to be able to contribute. I am just terribly
grateful for the start you have given us.

Personally I realized that I could do more good if I implemented a
"higher layer" (SqueakMap) which is meant to complement the module
system. Then of course - many of us could help out with "tool hacking" -
fixing up the browsers etc so that most module operations are accessible
- and I think it will happen.

Perhaps 3.2 needs to be "closed" so that all us developers move our
focus over to 3.3 - then we will HAVE to learn and contribute. That was
as I remember it part of the plan - get it out there and force people to
deal with it.

Btw - could someone present a short status on the 3.3a image in regards
with modularization? (Personally I might be of the feeling that it is
better to focus on the tools/modules system and get that working instead
of doing the module splitting effort. Hey, I could even live with this
strategy:

1. Create a new more or less "empty" developer image that is "squeeky
clean" :-) modulewise. Note: I don't even know if this is possible/easy
to do.
2. Freeze the current 3.3a image as it is.
3. Cut out and move over modules into the clean image, one by one.

Yes, it is a drastic idea but hey - it's just an idea. Perhaps it is
superdumb. It would be a sortof "cleansing process" in which the modules
that people really need/want will probably be moved over and other stuff
that people are not that interested in anymore (don't ask me) will tend
to lag behind, but so what?

regards, Göran

PS. Why is Andreas calling you Hendrik? :-) DS