Refining MOTU Mentoring

[Kjeldgaard Morten]

> We have a lot of contributors in this list, and I think it is the  
> right
> time for them to speak up and share their thoughts. We need you guys,
> and we need to know if what we do is valid or not. PLEASE ADD YOUR
> VOICE!

As a new contributor, let me add a few comments, then.

As it has been pointed out by others, the reviewing process can be  
quite frustrating. It is not the meticulous requirements to the  
packages, which I find rational and easy to understand, but rather  
the haphazard way you have to find reviewers. When asking how to get  
your package reviewed, the standard reply is "try asking on irc". I  
have done that, of course, but I estimate the success rate to be only  
around 10%. For busy professionals, it can be quite difficult to  
spend time hanging out on irc.

Often, the changes you are required to make are only 20 minutes of  
work or less, but then you have to go through the motion of finding a  
reviewer again, and so on. The cycle time for getting a package  
sponsored is weeks and months, and 99.9% of the time is spent  
waiting.To be honest, it makes progress too slow, and you have to be  
very persistent and committed not to become discouraged.

 From the viewpoint of the contributor, it would be nice to know that  
someone takes on the responsibility of working with you on a regular  
basis. For example, on REVU, the MOTUs could "sign on" for a  
particular package and follow it along until it is ready to get  
sponsor #2. Each package should have a special flag on the web page  
showing that the package is actively being reviewed. Another flag  
should show that the package has been reviewed and is waiting for  
another contributor upload. Communication between MOTU and  
contributor should take place on the REVU webpage, so others can  
follow the discussion and learn. These few modifications to the  
process would improve the productivity of our community and help  
keeping us hopefuls motivated.

Cheers,
Morten