[ubuntu-uk] www.ubuntu-uk.org

[TheVeech]

On Wed, 2007-05-09 at 12:50 +0100, Alan Pope wrote:
> On Wed, May 09, 2007 at 12:23:49PM +0100, TheVeech wrote:
> > On Wed, 2007-05-09 at 10:53 +0100, Alan Pope wrote:
> > > Surely if you were told how to do it, it would pretty easy. I dont see this 
> > > thing being done every day by every Ubuntu-UK loco member, so it's not 
> > > exactly a headache.
> > 
> > Yes, I've never used it, but it looks simple enough.  Specific
> > instructions for using it in this context would save time, though.
> > 
> 
> This will of course happen once the stuff is in place - assuming we decide 
> to put the site in bzr. I just spoke to Jono and he is keen for us to do 
> this also.
> 
> > Never had to use one.  What are the options?
> > 
> 
> I'd suggest that we have a small wiki page detailing how to upload picture 
> rather than discussing the various options in mails on the list.

No, I'm not asking specifically for this task - I was just interested in
what's out there.  No worries, I'll have a look.


> > > There is nothing "geek" about using a service such as bzr to upload an 
> > > image. It is just an application. Difference is it doesn't have a funky web 
> > > 2.0 frontend.
> > 
> > No, there's nothing geek - most people may just not be aware of it, but
> > more aware of other methods of sharing and submitting data.  For getting
> > images to the webmaster, more people will be aware of photo-sharing
> > sites than VCSs.
> > 
> 
> They are only aware of them because they are familiar with them and thus 
> have probably used them. Before that they didn't. They had to learn. Why is 
> it so hard for someone to spare a brain cell or five and learn something new 
> rather than bitch on about using some different utterly unrelated 
> technology?

Hey, easy tiger!  Well I didn't make the direct link between the two
('elsewhere') - just that this way of doing things made me wonder why we
seem to lack these specific 'sociable' services that more people are
aware of, and which the proprietary world is doing more successfully at
the moment - like social-sharing photography sites.

Most people I've come across don't mind learning new things.  With the
people you're referring to, what were the incentives for them to learn
what they did learn, since they had to learn that, too?  So...why, and
why not VCS instead?  Aside from caricaturing them, is it because people
tend to be more interested in the social aspects of things, because
they've got their 9-5 for the other stuff?

As for 'bitching', if we shouldn't ask these questions, why not -
eyeballs and bugs, and all that?  I can learn new things and 'bitch'.
And I think both help.


> > If there's any link regarding 'geekness' here, it's that photo-sharing
> > sites are designed more to encourage greater sociability between people,
> > whereas VCSs focus more on enabling groups to work towards getting 'the
> > job' done.
> > 
> 
> Ok, I don't have time to sit and debate with you the pros and cons of 
> version control systems. I suspect that is for another time.
> 
> > It's about as massive as asking why aren't there more of the social
> > websites for, e.g., photography, by the FLOSS community.  I can
> > appreciate you being peeved about a geek link with bzr, but the supposed
> > complexity of that paragraph has no bearing on your opinion or the
> > 'geekishness' or otherwise of bzr.
> > 
> 
> I am not peeved, I just figured that learning bzr though uploading an image 
> is a useful skill to have. Any idiot with a browser can upload a picture to 
> flickr. How does that help anyone?

LOL.  Because any idiot might get more out of it through doing it this
way.  Again, what's the incentives?  People must get something out of
these social sites that isn't overtly helpful, but benefits people in
ways other than more goal-driven activities.


> > 'Funkiness' we can scoff at, but usability we can't.  'Funkiness' means
> > sweet FA without usability.  Flickr has both.  Bzr's lack of a 'funky'
> > frontend perhaps just means that there's different tools for different
> > tasks, since the mere existence of a GUI doesn't necessarily mean an
> > application is more usable.
> > 
> 
> I don't want to argue with you about this, I just don't have the time and 
> for the most part I agree with you, so this will end up being a pointless 
> discussion from my perspective.
> 
> Cheers,
> Al.