----- Original Message -----
From: "Guillaume Cottenceau" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, June 02, 2000 6:25 PM
Subject: Re: [Cooker] tomsrtbt - Everyone take a deep breath
> "Hoyt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> > The MUO newsletter mentioned a "rumored" June 1st release which appeared
to
> > be officially discounted on this list, but was awfully close to the
> > truth.
>
> Let's tell you something: Tom Berger (the MUO editor) is hired by
> MandrakeSoft, but he does not participate in ANY internal mailing list. So
> I wonder how he could know something we don't even know.
>
I don't know either. I don't want to get Tom in trouble, but he works for
you guys - ask him.
>
> Let's not talk in terms of "Oh dear list, I promise I know nothing, I
> promise I tell you all the truth". Let's try to be clever, and act both of
> us (the MandrakeSoft employees / the people on Cooker mailing list) as
> efficiently as possible.
Huh? I don't follow that clearly.
>
> To make it clear: the number of BETA versions is not known by anyone of
> us, because this is decided upon what happens in the beta testing process.
> We basically will provide BETA's as long as we feel this can improve the
> quality of the distribution with a reasonable time/cost ratio. In other
> words, as the beta's go, we get closer and closer to the final.
>
> You know, the 1st of June was yesterday. Was it the day of the release?
> Nope.
This is spiltting hairs on terminology. It was close to the date Mandrake
decided to finalize th release.
I believe that the concern expressed on this list was that the beta testers
thought the beta testing was still in effect since they believed that some
problems remained.
But I also believe:
Mandrake decides how to adminster the beta testing and decide on the release
of the distribution, not the beta testers.
Mandrake decides which bugs need not be fixed in the release, not the beta
testers.
Mandrake sets the agenda and schedule and priorites, not the beta testers.
In effect, the non-employee people here don't tell Mandrake what to do to
run their business. And we shouldn't -- it's not our business. But it is our
investment of time and effort on Mandrake's behalf.
> > We *do* try to keep you as informed as possible. We urge our staff to
> provide as many BETA's as possible. We want to be as `transparent' as
> possible.
What I see here is a communication problem. There are volunteers helping
produce a product from which Mandrake will make money. Mandrake could have
announced "deep freeze" in a more effective way to the list if for nothing
else than consideration for the testers who no longer needed to continue
work on the "beta". Mandrake doesn't have to tell us "secrets"; just be
forthright with us and provide clear reasons when something can't or will
not be done (the tomsrtbt thread is a good example of this type of
inadequate communication - there was no good reason not to include it,
except for the reason we weren't told, i.e. 7.1 had been finalized).
Thanks for providing this forum and the opportunity to be part of the
Mandrake distribution.
Hoyt
