The instructions don't say to post to the mailing list but they do say """ If posting for the first time to the mailing list please use an informative first email so that we can get to know you. """ I guess that gives the impression that you should send an email to the mailing list. The problem though is that these emails don't really serve that purpose i.e. no one is getting to know anyone. There are too many introduction emails to follow and no one replies to them.
What would be better would be something like "join the mailing list so that you can see discussions there" and "if you have a question about contributing then you might want to use the mailing list but first see the FAQ/guidelines". A lot of questions are along the lines of "what is a good way to get started contributing" but it isn't really possible to give that anything more than a generic answer that could in a FAQ. If there is a *specific* question then it would be useful to use the mailing list and actually discuss it. -- Oscar On Wed, 14 Jan 2026 at 17:18, Aaron Meurer <[email protected]> wrote: > > We could remove these instructions. The mailing list introductions > made sense 15 years ago when there weren't very many people doing GSoC > and most people who introduced themselves went on to actually > contribute and apply. Nowadays the list is kind of just spammed with > them and it doesn't add any value. But it's also been this way for a > good while. > > Aaron Meurer > > On Wed, Jan 14, 2026 at 1:57 AM Jason Moore <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > We also have these specific GSoC instructions: > > https://github.com/sympy/sympy/wiki/GSoC-Student-Instructions That has some > > specific instructions on a first email. I suspect that GSoC probably tells > > students to do this somewhere too. > > > > In general, I think we do want to encourage any new contributor to > > introduce themselves and explain what they want to work on, etc. But the > > nature of GSoC creates a flood of "new contributors" that do not actually > > end up contributing or only contribute during the application period. > > > > Of course, any new contributor may not understand they are emailing hundred > > (or maybe a thousand) people in this forum. > > > > Jason > > moorepants.info > > +01 530-601-9791 > > > > > > On Wed, Jan 14, 2026 at 1:52 AM Oscar Benjamin <[email protected]> > > wrote: > >> > >> On Wed, 14 Jan 2026 at 00:19, Oldřich Klimánek > >> <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > > >> > But, Oscar, these emails pop out here every day, sometime several times > >> > a day: all from India or Bangladesh (I doubt that guys from India need > >> > AI to translate for them). Were they from Netherlands, South Africa and > >> > then Saudi Arabia, to say, I would not say a word. But these msg are the > >> > same every day, apparently from the sam source. It is kinda tiring to > >> > read these. > >> > >> I agree. I think the problem is that there is something somewhere that > >> tells people to do this e.g.: > >> https://docs.sympy.org/latest/contributing/introduction-to-contributing.html#join-our-mailing-list > >> > >> I think there might be something more explicit somewhere else (in the > >> GSOC instructions?). There are too many people who are interested in > >> contributing to SymPy for GSOC for it to be reasonable that they all > >> send an email to the mailing list though because it makes the mailing > >> list a waste of time for anything else. > >> > >> -- > >> Oscar > >> > >> -- > >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > >> "sympy" group. > >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > >> email to [email protected]. > >> To view this discussion visit > >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sympy/CAHVvXxRyLumSA63KisRtfc0U9k_5YbNJMwAWePC5dxM3aN1XBg%40mail.gmail.com. > > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > "sympy" group. > > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > > email to [email protected]. > > To view this discussion visit > > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sympy/CAP7f1AggHVFM085fj%3DmidTCDynk-dWXdmB0bnaOV4T-EOyctNw%40mail.gmail.com. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "sympy" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sympy/CAKgW%3D6KP4824nyCGebW%3DhCEev15q7Xo8N0Uia8RcV0XL_4nX%3Dw%40mail.gmail.com. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sympy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sympy/CAHVvXxSLJe4_FL16D6uyNUOZTgeNR2jm3g3dLkhP5A5CVXunzA%40mail.gmail.com.
