On Mon, 1 Feb 2010 21:00:51 -0500, Richard Darst <rkd@zgib.net> wrote: > If you want a starting point for commenting, I see three main > categories of things: the tutorial parts on Friday/Saturday, the > squashing parts Saturday/Sunday, and how they fit together. I wish I had been able to come on Friday. Overall, I'm very happy with how things went. I did hear from some people who were new(ish) to debian that the workshops were really helpful, someone also told me that they really appreciated feeling like they could come to the bug squashing parts, even if they didn't feel like they felt they could contribute much on that level. I think both the workshops and the welcoming atmosphere go a long way for helping Debian, in many different positive ways. On Tue, 2 Feb 2010 00:27:35 -0500, Hans-Christoph Steiner <hans@at.or.at> wrote: > > I think it went well, and I had fun. Plus I had some very productive > conversations that probably would have taken weeks via email. I only > wish I could have been around more. Like this weekend, I have nothing > to do... c'est la vie. Looks like you have plenty of time to continue on your own personal BSP this weekend! :) > One possible thing that could be a nice addition is having a more > newbie friendly section. Or really just have a table for newbies to > hang out and do installs, try building things from source, etc. There > is the danger of it becoming a distraction from the bug squashing, but > I think it could make for a since atmosphere to have lots of people > around free softwaring. I found myself frustrated a few times during the BSP, because at times it was really hard to focus on what I set for myself as goals for the BSP: squashin' some bugs. Sometimes that was when the clock was ticking and I was really close to fixing something but the noise level was growing because people were wrapping up, sometimes it was just in general. I know that, for me, a big part of this is my own inability to tune things out that are happening around me in order to focus on things that require focus[0]. I'm too easily distracted and love being distracted by the types of things that were distracting me this weekend[1]. However, I don't attribute the distractions solely to newbies. In fact, I think that the distractions came from all angles, folks from all skill levels, debian developers to newbies. I contributed to the distraction myself, so I am just as to blame as anyone could be. At times the BSP was about squashing bugs, other times it was about Debian or free software in general, other times it was just hackin' and goofin'. All of these things are really great when we are doing them in person. So, I certainly don't want to say that we need to hunker down and adopt a protestant work-ethic, silently sitting there working our afros off not having any fun. So, how do we reconcile these two things (assuming they need to be reconciled, perhaps I was the only one who felt this way)? I am not sure there is a single answer. One possibility would be to take Hans' idea and expand it a little more. Maybe setting aside multiple areas, there could be an area where it is understood that people are trying to squash some bugs and distractions should be kept to a minimum (within reason, people need to have fun while working, working together on a bug certainly should not be discouraged, and people should feel comfortable asking people to take their conversations elsewhere if they are distracting). Perhaps someone could act as a bug wrangler in this area, helping people find bugs to work on that suit their skills if that is helpful (I played this role a for a little bit during the BSP throwing bugs at people, NMU'ing the results, and keeping track of the tally) Then another area where people can hang out in if they are going to take a break from bug squashing, socialize, do something else on their computer for an extended period of time unrelated to bug squashing, decompress or whatever. An area where people don't mind being distracted by random things. Finally, the area that Hans suggested (the newbie table) where workshop sessions, installations, general q&a, etc. can happen. There should be someone, who is not a newbie, who can shepherd the folks at that table. micah 0. typically this has to do with hard things, programming, writing, and also things I would rather not do, these are neither mutually exclusive nor inclusive. 1. I've got an entire room devoted to my collection of yak shaving devices that span from the latest laser etching shaver to the hand-crank and foot pedal yak shaver from yesteryear. I'm a geek, and I suffer from GDD (Geek Distraction Disorder), I know it and I try to reign it in when I can or I will constantly be distracted by shiny objects and never get to my goals. I usually fail and don't realize it until a loud bleating noise startles me awake. I look around and I find that I'm in the yak shaving room! There is a half shaved yak in the room that made that noise! I'm holding the latest shaver in one hand, and an empty can of linseed oil in the other! OH NO, but I can't leave this half-shaven yak here, that is cruel, but this shaver needs oil and I'm out!
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