Well said Bruce. Count me in.
Jeremiah
Wed, May 09, 2007 at 09:30:33AM -0700: Bruce Van Allen mangled some bits into
this alignment:
> On 5/8/07 Tim Bunce wrote:
> >On Tue, May 08, 2007 at 05:38:42PM -0400, Sherm Pendley wrote:
> >> On May 8, 2007, at 5:23 PM, Bruce Van Allen wrote:
> >> >I think we can confidently answer the "Benefits to the Perl
> Community" issue.
> >> That's my biggest concern. CB is mostly of use to the subset of the
> >> community who are using Macs, and need to write GUI apps. My concern
> >> is whether that's a big enough subset to warrant a grant.
> >Don't just think about the "Benefits to the Perl _Developer_
> Community".
> >
> >Also think in terms of increasing the size of the Perl _User_ Community
> >by enabling quality Mac apps to be implemented in/with perl.
> >Tim.
>
> Exactly. I don't have an actual count, but what comes to mind is the
> "huge" number of people now dipping their toes into SQL and programmable
> database systems simply because of the (L)AMP connection of mySQL and
> PHP.
>
> Appreciate what they're missing (besides being limited to a Web
> framework): CB + DBI = the real thing. And there would be plenty of
> other growth vectors opened up.
>
> But moving past the "why", some work needs to be done before the sales
> pitch/evangelism.
>
> Sherm will need to write a proposal and submit it to the Perl
> Foundation. The rest of this message has my suggestions for how this
> could happen.
>
> The next deadline for submissions is June 8, 2007. Per TPF guidelines,
> the proposal needs to include some things that have to be thought
> through and written out:
>
> - Synopsis
> A short description.
>
> - Benefits to the Perl Community
>
> - Deliverables
> Quantifiable results e.g. "Improve X modules in ways Y and Z",
> "Write 3 articles for X website".
>
> - Project Details
> A more detailed description.
>
> Additional non-trivial items are a schedule for the project and a
> description of Sherm's background and qualifications to do the project.
>
> A quick look at recently funded TPF grants suggests that this might take
> a total of 2500 to 4000 words -- the length of a serious journal
> article. To do this in one month, it would be handy to have some
> milestones that give Sherm a timeline for writing, and provide those of
> us who want to help a structure for some parallel processing.
>
> 1. Project Definition.
> To start, the "project" will need to be defined; in my view this should
> be the realistic next set of steps in CB's development. The rest of the
> proposal follows from the project definition.
> - Sherm's part: I imagine Sherm has next steps in mind, so the task now
> would be for him to write out a description and circulate it.
> - Our part: We can help if he needs encouragement to think big or if he
> needs to choose what to take _off_ the plate for now.
>
> 2. Outlines, lists, or blurts for the sections listed above.
> This is just to get started; the point is to see what needs to be said
> and where it should be said in the sections of the proposal.
> - Sherm's part: Sherm should do this in whatever way he's most
> comfortable putting ideas into words. Concreteness and clarity more
> important than golden sentences. Ask for support where you have gaps.
> - Our part: Review and especially check for what's missing/incomplete in
> the _ideas_ for each section. Conceive of examples. Check references.
>
> 3. Writing
> Writing is re-writing.
> - Sherm's part: Develop drafts. Write to an audience that is both
> demanding of you and also believes in you.
> - Our part: review drafts, feed back quickly, stay on topic.
>
> 4. Proposal Composition
> The written pieces need to be strung together in order and printed out
> in a format different from the previous composition, so the emerging
> proposal may be read with fresh eyes.
> - Sherm's part: Piece it together, send it out, and then take a break.
> - Our part: Read, review, encourage, stay on topic.
>
> 5. Credentials
> This is a part that is important but outside the particulars of the
> proposed project, namely Sherm's qualifications.
> - Sherm's part: circulate something. Don't be modest, don't BS.
> - Our part: Read and review; also write our own brief and focused
> support notes/letters.
>
> 6. Project Schedule & Budget
> The proposal will need a schedule for the project that makes sense, and
> a budget for Sherm's time that is credible. At this starting point (May
> 9), I think attention should be on conceiving a sufficiently large
> project to move CB forward -- but I don't know what that is, or how long
> it would take. Looking at past TPF grants will give some context for
> this. But focus on the project for now, and come back to this after
> progress on the above steps.
>
> OK, those are enough milestones for now. All meant in the spirit of
> creating a framework, nothing rigid or "right" about it.
>
> How about some dates?
> 1. Project Definition.
> Mon, May 14.
> 2. Outlines, lists, or blurts for the sections listed above.
> Fri May 18.
> 3. Writing
> Fri May 25
> 4. Proposal Composition
> Tues May 29
> 5. Credentials
> Fri June 1
> 6. Project Schedule & Budget
> Fri June 1
>
> These dates are arbitrary, but if we get those things done, the
> remaining week up to the Fri June 8 deadline should be sufficient for
> final editing and refinement.
>
> Sherm, again this is all in the form of suggestions. I want you to feel
> that you are doing this with support, and not in isolation while we all
> simply wait and count on you come through. Make a few of us your
> "client" in the Xtreme programming sense, have lots of back and forth,
> and trust yourself.
>
> Best,
>
> - Bruce
>
> __bruce__van_allen__santa_cruz__ca__
