Re: Debian Etch Stable.

[Sven Luther <sven.luther@wanadoo.fr>]

On Wed, Dec 13, 2006 at 12:11:19PM +0100, Marc Haber wrote:
> On Wed, Dec 13, 2006 at 11:59:24AM +0100, Sven Luther wrote:
> > One thing you could do is to end *NOW* the experiment,
> 
> Can you please roughly outline what is going to happen when the
> experiment is continued until its scheduled end, and what's going to
> happen when the experiment is aborted immediately as you suggested?
> 
> I would be interested in the difference of the two action lists.

Well, the experiment is flawed upto a point to start with. We all are
interested, and maybe even for some have a compulsive need to participate to
the debian effort, and as thus it is a violent effort even for those who
decided to become less active in protest against the 'experiment' to actually
go on with the boycot.

So, right now we have this experiment ongoing, whose measure of success is
rather vague and knowing the persons involved and how previous conclusions
where taken from the most flimsy of facts, the only way for those opposing the
experiment to act is to freeze their involvement.

There is no way, as Josselin's comment clearly showed, that those who did
oppose the experiment, can actually become again active, and stop the boycot,
without those be used as evidence in favour of the experiment. There is also a
danger here, and this is that those volunteers will find other things to do
with their time, and if this mess is prolonged, they will not return to their
previous level of commitment even after the experiment. We are all volunteers
after all, and give our free time and work.

This is why this issue is such a mess. Making an official stop to the
experiment now, and measuring its effect, will allow those opposing the
experiment to contribute again if they chose so. What is actually happening
though is an indefinite prolongation of the experiment, and any
going-back-to-work by those opponents, as Anthony is calling for, will be used
to justify the experiment and point out that people where not as demoralized
after all.

Friendly,

Sven Luther