Hello, On 2/4/06, Louis Suarez-Potts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > >> Results: (1) continuing long delays to make the simplest changes, > >> often resulting in the changes being made too late for the events > >> they related to and (2) completely alienating a previously willing > >> and enthusiastic volunteer. > > > > I have seen quite a few willing and enthusiastic volunteers depart > > the project. Some were very skilled and eager to do a project but > > they just got tired of micromanagement and not seeing their efforts > > bear fruit. > > Really? Do you have evidence of this? >
I can't say that I've seen people leave because of this - I will say it was a pain (and has been in the past) to get things changed on the website - like the recent changes on the System Requirements page. If I were able to simply log in and submit the changes - even if they were pending approval - it would be much better. Even know after the changes I asked for were made, there are other changes I see. Some are jsut formatting ones, others are grammatical - so it's not a big deal. But, I'm aware of the changes, and willing to make them - but I do not have the ability to do so. And having to ask 2 or 3 different people to add a space or 2 on a webpage is very frustrating, and not really worth my time. So, in that case, it could be said that I "just got tired of micromanagemetn and not seeing [my] efforts bear fruit" and gave up on making that page as good as it can be. <changes I'm talking about for http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/source/sys_reqs_20.html> In case you are curious... - 256Mbytes RAM - 350Mbytes available disk space needs spaces between the digits and the letters - all do except the ones under Mac OS X and Linux: - Installation of GNOME 2.2 Solaris: Installation of GNOME 2.0 The Linux is bulleted, the Solaris is not. It needs to be consistant, and to maintain consistancy with the overall page - they both should be bulleted. Also, IMHO, the word "colours" should be spelled without the u, since International English spelling is used throughout most of the English pages of the site, and in the actual program itself. </changes> The point is not the changes that I believe need to be made to a given page - the point is it took me much more time to explain all of that in an email than it would for me to log in and make the changes myself. Now, multiply that by the number of willing volunteers and again by the number of edits those volunteers are willing to make. That's what is wrong with the current system. Perhaps the Marketing Project is not a Cathedrel, (I don't think it is at all), but I do see the website itself as much more of a Cathedrel than a Bazaar. This discussion should probably be taking place on the website mailing list - but I doubt anyone involving in this discussion other than Louis is a member of that list. I don't even know the proper address for that list. I'm not trying to attack Louis or OpenOffice.org or anybody. Just pointing out my personal frustration with the way changes are made to the website in regards to this discussion. -- - Chad Smith http://www.gimpshop.net/ Because everyone loves free software!
