On Wednesday 15 June 2005 12:16 am, Robert Dodier wrote:
> Hello,
>
> About the proposal to implement a package system for Maxima,
> I'd like to step back and consider how substantial projects
> (within Maxima) can be carried out.
OK. I guess the thing for me to do on that one in any case
is to impliment a proof of concept that it can be done in the
first place.
> I'd like to see something like this: interested parties
> propose a new project. They maintain a web page somewhere
> which states the proposal (subject to change of course)
> and has an archive of the discussion about the proposal.
Sounds like it might be a job for the wiki?
> Sooner or later the project administrator, either alone
> or in concert with other developers and/or users,
> gives the proposal a thumbs up or thumbs down.
I guess that might work. How is this an improvement on the
mailing list though? The convenience of having it all in
one place?
> This is largely inspired by the Python Enhancement Proposal
> (PEP) process.
I suppose what I can do initially is create a section in the
wiki and add stuff to it as I put it together. My major concerns
are 1) that such a mechanism might not get they eyeballs list
discussions currently get and 2) that people might put a LOT of
work into a project in these side pages only to have it voted
down once the main body of developers becomes aware of it. That's
why I always try to gauge the reaction of the list to an idea
BEFORE I put large amounts of time into it - for example, I don't
want to spend three weeks setting up the mechanisms I discussed
in the root email to this thread and then have it all junked. Not
that I'm particularly important to Maxima in a coding sense, but
there are others who ARE important and frustration is a real
concern. I was a bit dismayed by the lack of reaction, either yay
or nay, to my suggestions, particularly given how far reaching they
would be in future coding. I know a working prototype would go a
long way to making them more plausible, and I am going to try and
set up just that, but I'll be doing so without any idea at all as
to the chances that such work will eventually be approved. I
suppose you could successfully argue that many of the more
significant changes to the code base labored under the same handicap,
but I still think it would be better for a developer considering
a significant effort to know his work has some chance of being
accepted once quality standards are met. So, if your proposal
gets enough attention that it HELPS that situation, I like it and
count me in. I just don't want it to result in ideas and code
not getting the attention they deserve.
Cheers,
CY
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