[Ubuntu GNOME Team] Call For Help!

[Iberê Fernandes]

2013/10/31 Alberto Salvia Novella <es20490446e at gmail.com>

>  An extract of "Rework: Change the way you work forever"<http://sharkinfestedcustard.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/rework-jason-fried.pdf>
> :*
> **
>
> *
>
> *Throw less at the problem*
>
> Watch chef Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and you'll see a pattern. The
> menus at failing restaurants offer too many dishes. The owners think
> making every dish
> under the sun will broaden the appeal of the restaurant. Instead it makes
> for crappy food
> (and creates inventory headaches).
>
> That's why Ramsay's first step is nearly always to trim the menu, usually
> from
> thirty-plus dishes to around ten. Think about that. Improving the current
> menu doesn't
> come first. Trimming it down comes first. Then he polishes what's left.
>
> When things aren't working, the natural inclination is to throw more at the
> problem. More people, time, and money. All that ends up doing is making
> the problem
> bigger. The right way to go is the opposite direction: Cut back.
>
> So do less. Your project won't suffer nearly as much as you fear. In fact,
> there's agood chance
> it'll end up even better. You'll be forced to make tough calls and sort out
> what truly matters.
> If you start pushing back deadlines and increasing your budget, you'll
> never stop.
>
>
>
> *Embrace constraints*
>
> "I don't have enough time/money/people/experience." Stop whining. Less is a
> good thing. Constraints are advantages in disguise. Limited resources
> force you to make
> do with what you've got. There's no room for waste. And that forces you to
> be creative.
> Ever seen the weapons prisoners make out of soap or a spoon? They make do
> with what they've got. Now we're not saying you should go out and shank
> somebody--but
> get creative and you'll be amazed at what you can make with just a little.
>
> Writers use constraints to force creativity all the time. Shakespeare
> reveled in the
> limitations of sonnets (fourteen-line lyric poems in iambic pentameter
> with a specific
> rhyme scheme). Haiku and limericks also have strict rules that lead to
> creative results.
> Writers like Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Carver found that forcing
> themselves to
> use simple, clear language helped them deliver maximum impact.
>
> The Price Is Right, the longest-running game show in history, is also a
> great
> example of creativity born from embracing constraints. The show has more
> than a
> hundred games, and each one is based on the question "How much does this
> item cost?"
> That simple formula has attracted fans for more than thirty years.
>
> Southwest--unlike most other airlines, which fly multiple aircraft
> models--flies
> only Boeing 737s. As a result, every Southwest pilot, flight attendant,
> and ground-crew
> member can work any flight. Plus, all of Southwest's parts fit all of its
> planes. All that
> means lower costs and a business that's easier to run. They made it easy
> on themselves.
> When we were building Basecamp, we had plenty of limitations. We had a
> design
> firm to run with existing client work, a seven-hour time difference
> between principals
> (David was doing the programming in Denmark, the rest of us were in the
> States), a small
> team, and no outside funding. These constraints forced us to keep the
> product simple.
>
> These days, we have more resources and people, but we still force
> constraints. We
> make sure to have only one or two people working on a product at a time.
> And we always
> keep features to a minimum. Boxing ourselves in this way prevents us from
> creating
> bloated products.
>
> So before you sing the "not enough" blues, see how far you can get with
> what you
> have.
>
>
>
> *Start at the epicenter*
>
> When you start anything new, there are forces pulling you in a variety of
> directions. There's the stuff you could do, the stuff you want to do, and
> the stuff you have
> to do. The stuff you have to do is where you should begin. Start at the
> epicenter.
>
> For example, if you're opening a hot dog stand, you could worry about the
> condiments, the cart, the name, the decoration. But the first thing you
> should worry about
> is the hot dog. The hot dogs are the epicenter. Everything else is
> secondary.
>
> The way to find the epicenter is to ask yourself this question: "If I took
> this away,
> would what I'm selling still exist?" A hot dog stand isn't a hot dog stand
> without the hot
> dogs. You can take away the onions, the relish, the mustard, etc. Some
> people may notlike
> your toppings-less dogs, but you'd still have a hot dog stand. But you
> simply cannot
> have a hot dog stand without any hot dogs.
>
> So figure out your epicenter. Which part of your equation can't be
> removed? If
> you can continue to get by without this thing or that thing, then those
> things aren't the
> epicenter. When you find it, you'll know. Then focus all your energy on
> making it the
> best it can be. Everything else you do depends on that foundation.
>
>
>
> *Build half a product, not a half-assed product*
>
> You can turn a bunch of great ideas into a crappy product real fast by
> trying to do
> them all at once. You just can't do everything you want to do and do it
> well. You have
> limited time, resources, ability, and focus. It's hard enough to do one
> thing right. Trying
> to do ten things well at the same time? Forget about it.
>
> So sacrifice some of your darlings for the greater good. Cut your ambition
> in half.
> You're better off with a kick-ass half than a half-assed whole.
>
> Most of your great ideas won't seem all that great once you get some
> perspective,
> anyway. And if they truly are that fantastic, you can always do them later.
>
> Lots of things get better as they get shorter. Directors cut good scenes
> to make a
> great movie. Musicians drop good tracks to make a great album. Writers
> eliminate good
> pages to make a great book. We cut this book in half between the
> next-to-last and finaldrafts.
> From 57,000 words to about 27,000 words. Trust us, it's better for it.
>
> So start chopping. Getting to great starts by cutting out stuff that's
> merely good.
>
>
>
> *Focus on what won't change*
>
> A lot of companies focus on the next big thing. They latch on to what's
> hot and
> new. They follow the latest trends and technology.
>
> That's a fool's path. You start focusing on fashion instead of substance.
> You start
> paying attention to things that are constantly changing instead of things
> that last.
>
> The core of your business should be built around things that won't change.
> Things
> that people are going to want today and ten years from now. Those are the
> things you
> should invest in.
>
> Amazon.com focuses on fast (or free) shipping, great selection, friendly
> returnpolicies,
> and affordable prices. These things will always be in high demand.
>
> Japanese automakers also focus on core principles that don't change:
> reliability,
> affordability, and practicality. People wanted those things thirty years
> ago, they want
> them today, and they'll want them thirty years from now.
>
> For 37signals, things like speed, simplicity, ease of use, and clarity are
> our focus.
>
> Those are timeless desires. People aren't going to wake up in ten years
> and say, "Man, I
> wish software was harder to use." They won't say, "I wish this application
> was slower."
>
> Remember, fashion fades away. When you focus on permanent features, you're
> in
> bed with things that never go out of style.
>
>
>
>
> If you found this interesting, perhaps you shall want to have a look at
> the book.
>
> Thank you.
>
>
>
> El 31/10/13 13:53, Ali Linx (amjjawad) escribió:
>
>
>  Hi,
>
>  Help is needed and highly appreciated :)
>
>  Thanks!
>
> *---------- Forwarded message ----------*
> From: Ali Linx (amjjawad) <amjjawad at gmail.com>
> Date: Sat, Oct 26, 2013 at 10:40 AM
> *Subject: [ATTENTION] LTS Release - Urgent Need for More People*
> To: ubuntu-gnome <ubuntu-gnome at lists.ubuntu.com>
>
>
> Hello Everyone,
>
> As you may know, 14.04 Cycle is an LTS (Long Term Support) Cycle. Having
> that said, Ubuntu and most of the official flavours will have LTS Release.
> For the moment, the lack of Manpower could keep us away from having an LTS
> Release. However, after a discussion with our Developers, we'd like to
> announce the urgent need for these roles:
>
> 1- Someone with Bug Control to 'Actively Commit' to triaging Ubuntu GNOME
> bugs.
>
> 2- Couple of people helping out with 'Bug Fixing'.
>
> 3- People to help with 'Packaging' on the PPA's
>
> PLEASE NOTE: We are looking for people with experience and skills! We NEED
> people to commit for 3-5 years support and not just join for few months
> then leave.
>
> NO PROMISES to be made but we would be comfortable enough to submit an
> application to the Technical Board in order to have an LTS Release when we
> will have volunteers who can actively contribute and help us.
>
> If you have the required experience and skills or if you know someone who
> has, please let us know :)
>
> Thank you!
>
>
>  *Please, FEEL FREE to share this email and spread the word.
>
> *
> --
>   Remember: "All of us are smarter than any one of us."
> Best Regards,
>  amjjawad <https://wiki.ubuntu.com/amjjawad>
>  Areas of Involvement<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/amjjawad/AreasOfInvolvement>
>  My Projects <https://wiki.ubuntu.com/amjjawad/Projects>
>
>
>
>
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>


Wow, thank you for sharing Alberto!

I'd like to add my 2 cents, quoted from John Maeda's Laws of Simplicity:

TEN LAWS
1 reduce
The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.
2 organize
3 time
Organization makes a system of many appear fewer.
Savings in time feel like simplicity.
4 learn
Knowledge makes everything simpler.
5 diΩerences
Simplicity and complexity need each other.
6 context What lies in the periphery of simplicity is definitely not
peripheral.
7 emotion More emotions are better than less.
8 trust
In simplicity we trust.
9 failure
10 the one Some things can never be made simple. Simplicity is about
subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.

THREE KEYS
1 away More appears like less by simply moving it far, far away.
2 open Openness simplifies complexity.
3 power
Use less, gain more.

TED video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_maeda_on_the_simple_life.html

Book: ( you may find it in other places...)
http://www.scan-shipping.com/template/scanship_ru/uploads/files/260_maedalawsofsimplicity.pdf

Best regards,
Iberê
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