Core Developer application for Michael Casadevall (NCommander/sonicmctails)

[Steve Kowalik]

Michael Casadevall wrote:
> Although I'm saddened by the -1, I would ask you to please clarify
> both points. Can you please tell me that if now is too soon from MOTU
> (which is a little less than two months ago at time of written), then
> how long is an acceptable timeframe?

Two months is not a lot of time between MOTU and core-dev! Going from
creating patches and adding them to bugs to preparing uploads is not
something you can do in just one night! Furthermore, members of core-dev
are seen as senior members of the community, and you can't get that kind
of reputation in just two months.

A recent example is kde4bindings on ARM -- yes, you completed the work,
and I'll certainly agree it's impressive -- but the journey you took to
get a working upload was a long one, which involved multiple people,
multiple times, due to silly mistakes and you not being 100% careful,
which shows me that you aren't ready yet.

> Furthermore, can you please clarify what skills and in what areas you
> feel I'm lacking with respect to becoming a core developer so that I
> can improve in the areas you perceive as lacking?

No one area is lacking -- I think you just need more experience with
Ubuntu and uploading, and the only thing that can give you more of that
is time itself.

I also feel I have to echo James Westby's concerns when you applied for
MOTU -- becoming a core-dev means you have access to a greater number of
projects, and I feel your focus could slip leading you to neglecting
some of your earlier projects due to the new shiny.



                    You stated in your MOTU application that one of your
focuses has been on the PowerPC port -- it seems to me, at least in the
past two months, that PowerPC has taken a backseat to your new love of
the armel port -- is that trend likely to continue, and what work have
you done on the PowerPC port specifically over the past two months?

As a core-dev, this means that the newer projects are likely to directly
affect daily builds, and the quality of the release for a large segment
of the users.  Universe is somewhat shielded from this, of course, as
many projects don't pull directly from it, and most users don't install
all the packages in universe.

It's all very well and good to say that you can step down before burning
out, but stepping down from things that you have started as a core-dev
often has a considerably larger effect on the wider Ubuntu Community, as
so many more people are exposed to your work in the first place. This is
why sustained contribution in the first place is so important -- because
Ubuntu, like every other software project, tries to minimise people
walking away from the project, and parts of the project suffering, or
even being removed completely, as a result.

Thanks,
--
                                        Steve
"English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow
words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways
to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
         - James D. Nicoll, resident of rec.arts.sf.written