[Python-Dev] Developer resources (was Re: Stability and change)

[Aahz]

On Mon, Apr 08, 2002, Jeremy Hylton wrote:
>
> It seems like adopting a Linux-style development branch makes lots of
> extra work and doesn't buy Python much extra testing or stability.
> What you're calling experimental releases, we currently call cvs
> checkout :-).  I'm happy to keep truly experimental stuff in CVS
> between releases and aim for stability with each 2.x / minor release.

I'm picking this post as a convenient tag for changing the direction of
the conversation a bit:

I believe that the key issue I've seen mentioned in this thread is the
lack of downloads for alpha/beta releases.  In turn, that brings up the
whole issue of expanding the development and QA resources available to
Python as a whole.

What I'm seeing in this discussion is an assumption that there's no
simple way to expand the available eyeballs.  I hope that's wrong.
Let's try having a discussion about ways to change that.

My experience is that I've been unwilling until recently to participate
heavily in development because all I had was a Win98 box.  Tim Peters
aside, I think most people think of Win98 as a *lousy* platform for
development.  But even now that I've finally got a Madrake 8.1 box set
up, I'm still proceeding more slowly than I'd prefer because I don't want
to screw up my box (I've already had many more problems than I expected
installing Mandrake).  That's aside from little issues like not knowing
how to use CVS or my 56k connection or SF bug submissions not working
with Lynx.

I think I'm fairly typical of the crowd that we'd like to add to the
Python resources: reasonably competent technically (but with a *lot* of
gaps in knowledge/skills), but also a bit gunshy of pushing limits too
quickly.

Here are a couple of suggestions:

* Create a python-dev-tutor list for people who want to learn how to
participate in Python development.

* Make the current CVS build available on some semi-public machine like
Starship (and by "available", I mean compiled).
-- 
Aahz (aahz@pythoncraft.com)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

"There are times when effort is important and necessary, but this should
not be taken as any kind of moral imperative."  --jdecker