[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-panel-devel
Subject:    Re: Stepping down as maintainer
From:       Eike Hein <hein () kde ! org>
Date:       2018-06-02 11:43:04
Message-ID: 63C74ACD-FC5F-44A2-8244-B3DD9A43D1D0 () kde ! org
[Download RAW message or body]

To establish the full extent of the range opinions here: Personally I think the VDG has been \
working very well lately, and I want to thank its members for being some of the most \
hard-working and motivated contributors to Plasma today. They've made my work better many \
times.

I also disagree that this has lead to sacrificing "product work at the altar of usability". \
Rather I believe the past 2-3 releases have finally brought us back to a strong focus precisely \
on product work, thanks in no small part to initiatives driven by the VDG communication hub. I \
think we've found a nice rhythm of the VDG generating actionable work items for code \
contributors to jump on and implement, and especially in the course of the System Settings \
work, the forth-and-back style of iterating together has lead to dramatically better results \
every time. The results are visible in our release announcements.

I believe the solution to any remaining woes lies in engagement, not in throwing hands up in \
the air and complaining. It's normal for coding and design teams to have some push-and-pull \
between them, that's how they complement and course-correct each other. It's also worth keeping \
in mind how frustrating it must be for design contributors if code contributors let them \
constantly feel that they are the final arbiters and gate-keepers, and resort to arguments from \
authority constantly. This is not what "common ownership" in the Manifesto is about. I urge \
code contributors to be aware of this harmful messaging, which sets us back on our quest to \
grow our talent mix, which has been paying dividends. This goes doubly so for maintainers, \
whose primary function is to enable the work of other - any - contributors. Let's keep in mind \
onboarding is one of our chosen community goals.

Finally, I want to say that I think it's not in good form to have started this discussion in \
this thread. Putting an entire set of contributors on trial under the mantle of someone's \
disgruntled exit announcement, biasing the burden of proof from the get-go? What are we doing \
here?


Cheers,
Eike
-- 
Plasma, apps developer
KDE e.V. vice president, treasurer
Seoul, South Korea


[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]