Chris,<br><br>I realize I'm a new voice around here and a lot of the
technical aspects of this are over my head. I do however have
experience in other open source communities so some things I know a
little about. <br>
<br>First, let me say that no matter how many total people are on a
mailing list, the people who contribute frequently and even
infrequently is the number of people you should be talking about as
your actual subscription base. The people who contribute often and are
outspoken are the ones who care the most. If people aren't responding
to at least agree or disagree one way or the other, then they aren't as
concerned with the outcome and in many cases aren't even following the
discussions at all, but are likely deleting the messages outright.<br>
<br>While you might not think forking or dying is a concern, these are
usually things that happen and end up blindsiding someone or a group of
people. Your responses about this seem almost like a dismissal and not
a more appropriate desire to maintain a cohesive working group. People
in positions of leadership need to respect and listen to others in the
community and need to work towards ensuring a smooth working system.
I'm not sure if this community generally functions smoothly or not, but
so far it's not making a great impression on me. <br>
<br>You say that you are listening to feedback and opinions, but from
what I've seen in my admittedly short time here and what I've read in
the archives, you really aren't. If a group of users is vocal enough
to repeatedly ask and plead for something, but you give them nothing,
that's not listening. <br>
<br>To the list as a whole:<br><br>What concerns me most about this
community from what I've seen so far is that it seems to operate no
differently than any other open source community I've been a part of.
In fact, so far it seems to be worse off than most. While obviously
technical discussion are going to be a large part of this, I am baffled
that not once has anyone talked about the spiritual implications of
these decisions. Is this making it harder to get content to believers
and non-believers? Are delays in modules being published hindering
people's ability to study God's Word? What's more important in God's
Eyes - making the content available in a timely manner, or crossing
every t and dotting every i? I don't know what's in your heart, your
reasons for doing something, or even your relationship with God, but if
a group of believers cannot come together and work cohesively to
further God's Kingdom what chance do we have of winning even one soul?
<br>
<br> I'm sure many of you are familiar with this verse, but think of
this when communicating with others you may have trouble dealing with
on this list, and in general:<br><br><div style="margin-left: 40px;">Let
no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good
for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those
who hear. <br>
<br>
Ephesians 4:29<br></div><br>I hope my first impressions of this community are wrong and that I haven't started off by alienating myself. <br><br>Wesley<br><font color="#888888"><br><br></font>