(long) Re: [ode] Re: cart before the horse


Deb Richardson (deb@linuxcare.com)
Thu, 13 Jan 2000 02:46:38 -0500


"Paul M. Foster" wrote:

> Maybe we should all just shut up now. ;-}

Heh...that's certainly not what I'm suggesting :) I'm actually quite
excited by the interest and energy I've seen demonstrated in the
discussions here so far. Over the past year or so, I've been thinking
about these and similar issues, and I've tried to do what I could to
foster discussion -- rather the reason I started the Open Source Writers
Group in the first place, really, to act as a neutral (ie: not
associated with any one Open Source documentation project) channel for
communication between the disparate documentation projects.

There are a number of problems with current Open Source documentation
projects, methods, etc. And there are a wide variety of challenges
which Open Source documentation is going to face as Open Source becomes
more widely accepted and used in mainstream society.

If this discussion is going to be effective, however, it cannot be one
small segment of the OS docs community -- if the purpose of these
discussions is to work on defining and resolving the problems currently
being faced by all Open Source documentation projects, then we really
must include as many projects as possible.

I think these discussions are incredibly creative, and if through these
discussions we can do some real good for the Open Source documentation
community, I'm going to be the first one to begin cheering. But I also
think that some of the problems we're facing are more difficult than
many realize. I also think that some of the proposed solutions I've
seen here are largely infeasible given the time, resources, and sheer
bloody-mindedness required to actually implement them. Again, I
challenge people to prove me wrong. But I do think that someone has to
be a critic -- I have seen things proposed here that I believe would
generate much "sound and fury" and yet come to naught. Grandiose plans
are those most likely to result in vapourware.

What I would like to see is the energy and enthusiasm I've seen
demonstrated on this list focused first on projects and solutions that
are most likely to be successful. There is nothing quite as frustrating
as devoting hundreds of hours to a project which turns out to either
fail or that is never completed. In the software industry these are
known as "death march" projects -- projects that people work on for
months and years, but which, in the end, produce nothing of value. It's
a horrible thing to be on one of these death march projects. Few things
can be as discouraging. Even more so if you're a volunteer.

If we're going to try to define and solve some of the more significant
problems facing the Open Source community, I think we should do so with
our eyes wide open. We should set achievable goals, define very
particular mile stones, and develop realistic plans that will allow us
to achieve those mile stones. Just forming a mob and rushing of all
pell-mell towards an undefined goal is the fastest way to burn ourselves
and each other out. But if we approach this intelligently, if we work
carefully on defining problems and devising realistic solutions for
those problems, I think that we can do a great deal of good.

But we really do have to begin at the beginning, and, to throw another
cliche at you, we need to begin by taking baby steps.

I certainly don't want to discourage anyone, but I also think that we
need to slow down, step back, and think some of this through a bit more
before we continue.

First, I think we need to come up with (and I hate to use the term) a
"mission statement" for this group. We have to define this group's
current purpose. Why are we having these discussions? What do we hope
this group will achieve? What is our first "baby step"? When we have
that mission statement (and I recommend that it be a reasonably
conservative one), we can then begin distributing that mission statement
around the community -- a combination of a press release and an open
invitation to any and all interested parties to take part.

We also need a good name for the group. "Open Documentation
Environment" isn't appropriate -- that's a name for a software package,
not for a discussion group.

And chances are that we'll need a website. I hereby offer hosting space
for this site on the Open Source Writers Group server. If at some point
we decide this group needs its own separate domain, we can arrange for
virtual hosting on the OSWG site. Either way, I've got space on the
server, and I'm happy to donate it. I'll even donate some time to
working on the website if need be. At first, it's likely to be a small
site, so it shouldn't be that time consuming.

As I said, however, first things first. We need a mission statement,
and then we need to do some publicity work. Any ideas?

- deb

-- 
Deb Richardson, Executive Editor
Linuxcare, Inc.
tel: 613.562.9723, fax: 613.562.9304
deb@linuxcare.com, http://www.linuxcare.com

Linuxcare. At the Centre of Linux.



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