Ok, we're on the same page on one thing, there is a problem. One release in a year with this many great people contributing is not acceptable.
Sure, my experience makes me believe, and I guess Damien's frustrations echo, that part of this problem is Apache process. You may not agree with that, but if you don't, and you admit that there *is* a problem, then what is it? The first step in CouchDB's 12 step program to get get it's mojo back has to be admitting that it has a problem. As much as it's a problem, I don't think that lack of leadership is the real problem, I think it's a symptom. I'm glad to see you say that we should get up and do more. If you're stepping up to take on more leadership, say it, scream it! Own it! -Mikeal On Jan 6, 2012, at January 6, 20121:13 PM, Noah Slater wrote: > I have drafted a few responses to this. > > At the core of all of them is one central point. This has nothing to do > with our consensus based approach. I find it frustrating that Damien > mentioned the Apache consensus based model as a concern, when to the best > of my knowledge he has not had any problems getting any feature he wants in > to CouchDB. I find it even more frustrating that you've used this as an > excuse to trot out your favorite hobby horse. Most people are aware of your > problems with Apache, but I don't think it's very helpful to bring them up > now, when they are tangental at best. > > I do, however, agree that CouchDB could do with a bit more leadership. I > think we could do with being a bit more bold. Back in the old days, Jan > used to say it was easier to ask forgiveness than it was to ask permission. > I think that these days, we're too busy asking for permission most of the > time. I agree that there needs to be an attitude change within our ranks. > Be bold people! That's what I'll be doing with the website, shortly. > > On Fri, Jan 6, 2012 at 8:08 PM, Mikeal Rogers <[email protected]>wrote: > >> The title of this reply is "Tough Love". >> >> On Jan 6, 2012, at January 6, 20129:08 AM, Noah Slater wrote: >> >>> Dear Community, >>> >>> As some of you may have already read, Damien Katz, Apache CouchDB’s >>> original developer, has publicly announced that he intends to focus his >>> time exclusively on developing other products for his company. Damien has >>> had very little involvement in the CouchDB project for a year or more >> now, >>> so, for many people, this is confirmation of what they already knew. >> We’re >>> sorry to see him go, and wish him all the best in his new direction. We >> all >>> owe him a huge debt of thanks for all the hard work he has put in over >> the >>> years, and for his original vision of the project. >> >> Yes, Damien has been pretty inactive for over a year, and has that gone >> unnoticed? How many releases in that time? How much new adoption? >> >> For the last year CouchDB has suffered a vacuum of leadership. This is a >> thriving community, it can survive a loss like this, but only if people(s) >> step up and take responsibility. Having a lot of discussions and process >> around decisions leaves the flavor of meritocracy in everyones mouth but >> the viewable result of this has been a gigantic loss in momentum as the >> projects publicly viewable changes and advances have been close to zero. >> >>> >>> Our biggest strength has always been the breadth and depth of our >> community >>> of developers and users. In the very near future, we’ll be voting in a >> new >>> committer, appointing a new PMC member, sprucing up the website, >> >> Sprucing up the website. *sigh* This is a great example, I've been hearing >> this for over a year with no noticeable change. >> >> There have been countless false starts and arguments about direction >> ending in a stalemate. Maybe we all think this kind of discussion is just a >> healthy bi-product of a consensus based process but to the public it looks >> like it's output: nothing. Nothing piled upon nothing, and we've gotten >> comfortable with that. >> >>> and making >>> a major new release. We’re happy to confirm that Cloudant has also >> publicly >>> made a commitment to help contribute BigCouch to the CouchDB project. >>> BigCouch, for those of you who have not had the pleasure of using it >>> already, is a fault-tolerant, horizontally scalable clustering framework >>> purpose-built for CouchDB. >> >> I challenge the idea that this is a positive development. Not because >> BigCouch isn't awesome, it definitely is, but the Couch community is much >> larger and more diverse than Apache CouchDB and many of the fringe projects >> have thrived without the Apache process to hold them back while CouchDB >> struggles to move forward in spite of it. >> >>> >>> Here’s to our future! >> >> I'm sure I'll get lots of upset emails and some of those people are still >> clinging to the idea that this process is more important that being >> productive while at the same time in their other projects see frequent >> releases and contributions because they take responsibility for them. >> >> I rely on Apache CouchDB tremendously and the reason I picked it a long >> time ago over alternatives was because the community was so great. Other >> projects, and even some of my own, have thrived after the loss of their >> creator because people were clamoring to step up and take responsibility. >> But what's happened here is that the leader has become fed up with the >> process, publicly pronounced it and moved on, and not only is everyone >> sticking with business as usual and not challenging the process, nobody is >> wiling to take responsibility for the projects future either. >> >>> >>> Relax, >> >> I'm trying, I really am. >> >>> >>> Noah Slater >> >>
