> From: Michael Mathews [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2006 12:25 AM
[...]
> On 27/05/06, Conrad Schneiker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > So I'm offering to post a $1,000 prize (The AthenaLab "The 1st Extreme
> > Leverage Prize" for Perl 6), to be awarded to the person that delivers
> > the
> > first (Perl 6)**2 Wiki that meets some moderate specifications.
[...]
> Now would that be New Zealand Dollars or...? :-)
USDs.
(Hmm. Maybe I should have checked exchange rates before answering.)
> I think this will certainly encourage activity but I hope it doesn't
> make things so competitive that us average folks won't have a chance
> to contribute to the work.
If things do turn out to be *that* competitive, then it's likely that Perl 6
is seriously threatened by an imminent stampede of early-adapters, and is
probably inescapably doomed to an awesome future.
> I would love to help in whatever small ways
> I can. Hopefully everyone who wants to will be able to give something
> to the project.
I sort of hope so too, which is partly why I encouraged the use of public
forums to get assistance. However, for some people, competition is -Ofun. If
they prevail in this endeavor, that's also OK with me.
I'm *very* much *more* interested in the *next* wave of collaborative
projects that the (Perl 6)**2 Wiki can more {readily, powerfully}
facilitate. I allude to some of these possibilities in
(www.athenalab.com/Perl_6_Users_FAQ.htm).) In case you weren't wondering
about it, "Extreme Leverage" in the name of the prize reflects this
perspective.
> Is it too late to add a requirement that the
> "solution" be architected to allow for modular expansion? I mean that
> it can easily be added to with plug-ins (for example). That way even
> those who don't work on the core can still add expansion code.
Good ideas, but I'll leave the specifications up to @Larry (or designated
proxies thereof).
Once something useful is running, there should be endless opportunities for
{refactoring, upgrading, generalizing, customizing}. As long as there are no
external Wiki features that somehow preclude a reasonable content-migration
path, then AFAIK, the internals of the first system could be pretty kludgy
without precluding fairly rapid evolution towards increasingly {elegant,
powerful} architectural "best practices".
> Also I'm volunteering now for whatever anyone needs -- I'll waive the
> money if that's gonna stop you from accepting my help. :)
I like that attitude. Coincidentally, I'm waving the money too--as in waving
it goodbye. But if the Perl 6 Users FAQ is even half-right about the future
prospects of Perl 6, then this investment should have a wonderful long-term
ROI. Hopefully some other people will think and do likewise.
Best regards,
Conrad Schneiker
www.athenalab.com/Perl_6_Users_FAQ.htm
www.AthenaLab.com (Nano-electron-beam and micro-neutron-beam technology.)
