[Sugar-devel] [IAEP] community influence on development

[Bert Freudenberg]

On 30.07.2009, at 22:23, Martin Dengler wrote:

> On Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 04:17:56PM -0300, Bert Freudenberg wrote:
>>
>> On 28.07.2009, at 07:22, Martin Dengler wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 03:24:13PM +0545, Daniel Drake wrote:
>>>
>>>> However, I feel like it could be better if the community (who I
>>>> might even stretch to call "customers") could have more influence.
>>>> [...]  What are the options for the community having more of an
>>>> influence here?
>>>
>>> Influence on whom?  Developers?  There are no SugarLabs employed
>>> developers.
>>
>>
>> But if we get feedback from the "front line", from teachers actually
>> using our software in the field, the volunteer developers I know
>> struggle to find a way to make it easier for them. Nothing beats
>> direct contact with children of course, but even meeting teachers  
>> from
>> the deployments and hearing first-hand accounts of the problems (and
>> successes!) is rather motivating. Reading these reports on a mailing
>> list is less emotionally moving but still a great hint at how to
>> prioritize one's spare time.
>
> I don't disagree with anything you said, but I'm struggling to see how
> it's relevant to the OP or my reply.  Perhaps by "the volunteer
> developers I know struggle to find a way to make it easier for them"
> you're implying that we need to make it easier for volunteer
> developers to contribute?

No, I meant the volunteer developers are motivated largely by feedback  
from users of their software. They then do all they can (sometimes  
even struggling) to help. At least that's what I see with the Etoys  
developers, which is similar to Sugar in that it's not a scratch-your- 
own-itch open-source project.

- Bert -

>> The problem is we get way too few feedback.
>
> Indeed.
>
>> - Bert -
>
> Martin