[OT] why isn't bikeshed good enough as a sounder replacement?

Amedee Van Gasse amedee-ubuntu at amedee.be
Fri Jun 17 06:16:48 UTC 2011


On 06/16/11 20:08, Cybe R. Wizard wrote:
> On Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:34:04 -0500
> Jordon Bedwell<jordon at envygeeks.com>  wrote:

*snip*

>> Start going to meetings and start speaking up, or shut it with the
>> lies.
>>
> I vote locally.

*snip*

Contrary to popular belief, Ubuntu is not a democracy. Neither is any 
other Linux or Open Source endeavour. Ubuntu is a meritocracy: if you 
want to have something to say, you have to earn it.

It is also common in Open Source projects to fork, either because some 
people are unhappy or because someone wants to try out a new 
experimental feature. Forks are not a Bad Thing, on the contrary. Do Not 
Fear The Fork, Embrace It. Forks are a sign of innovation. This is 
exactly what happened with bikeshed: it forked away from Ubuntu. Only 
time will tell if bikeshed will ever become more popular than Ubuntu, or 
if it will slowly die out.

My predicition is: if bikeshed ever wants to have more ambition than 
just being a chatbox, then a democratic model is unsustainable. You will 
have to switch to some kind of meritocratic model, and then there will 
be again a few unhappy people, who will eventually fork away and form 
their own group.




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