[Sugar-devel] [IAEP] [POLL] collab.sugarlabs.org

[Walter Bender]

On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 11:50 AM, Aleksey Lim <alsroot at member.fsf.org> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Background:
>
>  Step in issue, sugar is not unique here, thats the problem for other
>  FOSS projects as well. But sugar has it's own specific nature - sugar
>  stimulates(at least should) doing not just using, our audience could
>  have additional layers - teachers for examples. Projects like sugar
>  also unique because it's not only about producing final product but
>  about improving basic things - education here. So, many people could
>  want to participate to projects like sugar even if they are tacking
>  part in other FOSS projects. Thus the critical thing for sugar is
>  supporting casual participating. Participating not only by experienced
>  developers but designers, casual doers etc.
>
>  Someone could argue that it's about gaining critical mass of
>  contributors and we didn't achieve this point yet. But what about
>  achieving critical mass of targeted audience and even users of
>  sugar(thanks to OLPC).
>
>  For example what can do teacher somewhere in Uruguay if local needs
>  requires some improvement in sugar, he can post en email to one of
>  sugar related lists, ask someone on IRC but is it so friendly?(it's
>  the same level of answers like "ask google"). What can do individual
>  who needs some activity and going to pay for this activity
>  development(during 0.86 cycle I got such request and had to bounce it
>  since didn't have enough time).
>
>
> So, the question is should we have special place to treat such issues
> in convenient and casual developer/requester friendly manner.
>
> This collab.sugarlabs.org shouldn't be the only place to track all sugar
> users needs and of course any big deployment could have its own
> internal/external infrastructure. But having one place where every sugar
> users can look by default could useful.
>
> One of benefits of such site is a chance to coordinate sugar development
> contributions from outsiders/casual-contributors etc. BTW looks like
> even for core team we don't have strong coordination, there is no
> regular meetings etc. With collab.sl.o we at least can see what
> particular contributor is doing right now.
>
> Another benefit is that collab.sl.o could be right place to sustain
> developers by paying for implementing particular feature or having
> donation button like AMO does.
>
> --
>
> This email was subjected by [POLL] to not loss this thread and since
> this question could be very arguable in details, lets split it to
> several stages, one for poll of necessity for this feature at all and
> next(if first stage will be accepted) for discussing details.
>
> Please attach +/- to your reply.
>
> --
>
> +1
>
> --
> Aleksey
> _______________________________________________
> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
> IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org
> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
>

+1 as I am very sympathetic to you intentions. However, I worry that
yet-another website might not be the solution. We have several places
where we are already try to gather user needs and feedback (e.g., the
Sur list, IAEP list,
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Submit_Bugs/Problems,
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Request_New_Features,
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Sugar_Labs/Resources/Professional_services,
etc.). How will this site be different/effective/unifying?

-walter

-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org