Re: Ad hoc and spontaneous voting

[Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org>]

Hi,

        Frasnkly, asking for controversial topics to be discussed here
 would probably increase the volume of this list, and possibly make it
 hard for some people to continue to be subscribed (just like what
 happened to -devel). 

>>"Darren" == Darren O Benham <gecko@debian.org> writes:

 Darren> On Wed, Jun 30, 1999 at 10:30:29PM -0500, Manoj Srivastava wrote:

 Darren> Hmm... Then how about [GR P...] [GR A...] etc?  I'd like to
 Darren> make sure the header is a little different for each action to
 Darren> to be sure the author sets/changes the subject in these
 Darren> cases.

        Sounds good to me.

        
 >> Personal likes are not wuite as important as havin a single,
 >> publicized palce for keeping track of the current resolutions,
 >> which is accesible through email and http, and follows well known
 >> conventions for access and usage that debian developers are already
 >> familair with. 
 >> 
 >> If you have an alternate methodology of keeping track of
 >> things with similar functionality, bring it forth. Statements of
 >> personal preference do not quite cut it.

 Darren> Sure, mailing list and their archives... I would hope we
 Darren> don't have so much activity as the -policy group that the
 Darren> lists/archives methods become unmanageable.

        You are trying to get the discussions happen here and you do
 not expect to get a lot of volume? And this is for things that can
 not be decided by consensus, and we need a general resolution in the
 first place? Hah!

        And in any case, this is not quite equivalent. I can do 
 bugsin debian-policy, where bugsin is the one liner:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
#!/bin/sh
lynx http://www.debian.org/Bugs/db/pa/l$1.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 and see the state of all proposals in policy. I don't have to go
 trudging through a whole bunch of list archives for this. I can also
 get a list of bugs on that package through mail, which is not
 possible for the mailing list archive.

        I want a single page giving a summary of the status of
 proposals. 

 >> You are wrong. Getting enough sponsors is to cut down on
 >> frivoulous resolutions, and ensure that there is a bare minimum of
 >> support. It does in no way assure a minimum period. I take it you
 >> have not been observing what happens on the -policy group: something
 >> is proposed, and immediately garners folowers (seconds).
 >> 
 >> No, the number of seconds is unrelated to pre discussion time
 >> periods (and I suyspect that you'l have to raise the number a
 >> lot to get the period inflated). On the other hand, raising the
 >> number to a hundred or so would cut down the number of these
 >> proposals to an acceptable volume.

 Darren> The idea is to increase the number of seconds beyond the
 Darren> immediate camp followers (which seem to be about 5-7 based on
 Darren> the last two non-DPL votes), certainly not 100.  That would
 Darren> be the entire body of voters.  The act of trying to get the
 Darren> sponsors should/would generate the pre-discussion.

        Why not set a convention that one has a period of
 prediscussion, instead of trying to tweak the number of sponsirs so
 that the period is long-but-not-too-long-or-too-short? Avoiding such
 side effects is good practice.

        manoj
        
-- 
 "No program is perfect," They said with a shrug. "The customer's
 happy-- What's one little bug?"  But he was determined, Then change
 two, then three more, The others went home.  As year followed
 year. He dug out the flow chart And strangers would comment,
 Deserted, alone.  "Is that guy still here?"  Night passed into
 morning.  He died at the console The room was cluttered Of hunger and
 thirst With core dumps, source listings. Next day he was buried "I'm
 close," he muttered.  Face down, nine edge first.  Chain smoking,
 cold coffee, And his wife through her tears Logic, deduction.
 Accepted his fate. "I've got it!" he cried, Said "He's not really
 gone, "Just change one instruction."  He's just working late." The
 Perfect Programmer
Manoj Srivastava   <srivasta@debian.org>  <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
Key C7261095 fingerprint = CB D9 F4 12 68 07 E4 05  CC 2D 27 12 1D F5 E8 6E