[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote in news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]:
> * A valid alternative to changing the OOo code base is to start with > writing some macros. He gave the example of Andrew Brown's Word Count > macro. The devlopers just didn't take Word count of a selection > seriously. When Andrew's word count macro became so popular it changed > their view - now the functionality is in OOo 1.9.x (personal note, > Andrews macro may still be the better option). > If Ken actually used my macro as an example, I'm flattered and delighted. I would also note that I couldn't have written it without help from Sun, and in particular from Daniel Vogelheim, who showed me how to write the selection code. That kind of personal contact, which can't have taken him more than half an hour, paid off for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of users, and is surely a model to be followed. The flaw in the process comes later, in the fact that the macro was never incorporated into any 1.x distribution. I don't have any ideological axe to grind when I say that Sun is is essential to the project, but has an interest in pretending this is not the case. I am writing purely as a journalist, observing what I see. It is true that I am writing from the perspective of an English-speaking Windows users. If I were a French speaking LInux user, I might well see the community as more important. I jumped on the remark about the number of developers because I have been worrying for some years that there are not enough people on the program and it isn't moving forwards as fast as it should. We know that Sun is sacking large numbers of employees. Since OOo makes it no money directly, it would seem to be an obvious target. Besides, it's a legitimate strategic aim for Sun to get other people to do more of the work on the program. With that said, they are not terribly good at it. this, also may be related to the number of employees. There may not be -- my impression is that there are not -- enough people employed in the delicate business of encouraging individual outside contributors, and helping them to see that their efforts make a difference. Because that's what brings contributors in, and keeps them there. Nobody seems to be measuring that and trying to increase the number systematically. It's not Louis' job to do this, I know. But just saying "around 500 people had signed the JCA six months ago; I don't know how many of them are developers" doesn't actually tell us anything very much about the number of non-Sun developers and how to increase them. -- Andrew Brown The email in the header does not work. Contact details and possibly useful macros from http://www.darwinwars.com/lunatic/bugs/oo_macros.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
