Re: How to Increase Contributions from Volunteers

[Thomas Hood <jdthood@yahoo.co.uk>]

Andreas Schuldei wrote:
> we need to promote the easy entry points to contributing to debian
> more prominently and should hide the "how to become a DD" in
> comparison.

Manoj Srivastava wrote:
> What on earth for?

Andreas Schuldei wrote:
> [...] people who want to help/contribute seem to be
> turned away by the burecratic nature of the NM process with its
> long waiting periods. People who want to contribute without that
> process need to find a way to do that easily and effectively,
> without spending too much time to find where they can do that.
> [...]
> Manoj, i think you are trying to polarize the discussion.


I think that the discussion is already polarized; there is obviously a sharp
difference of view.  The disagreement is reflected in the inconsistency between
the existence of "easy entry points", which you favor. and the whole philosophy
behind the NM process, which was presumably favored by those who set up that
process.

You seem to be assuming that Debian should encourage people to contribute,
whereas the NM process was deliberately set up to discourage applicants.
You assume that applicants are scarce, but the assumption behind NM is that
there are more than enough. You assume that newcomers can be given the benefit
of the doubt, whereas the assumption behind NM is that newcomers should not be
trusted until they have endured trials.  You assume that contributors are
different, but the assumption behind NM is that developers all need to learn
the same skills.  You assume that people can learn as they go, but NM insists
that applicants learn everything up front.

If there are "easy entry points" in Debian which allow non-DDs to do the same
work as DDs then I can see why a defender of the current NM process would
regard those points as weaknesses in Debian's defenses, which should be closed
rather than advertized.
-- 
Thomas Hood