[maemo-community] My Perception of the Maemo/MeeGo Community

[From: Michael Cronenworth]

On 08/13/2011 02:40 PM, Randall Arnold wrote:
> I'm always willing to listen to feedback, even the harsh, negative 
> type, but it's hard to process when it doesn't reflect reality.

I had a good friend of mine, who is an avid technology buff, proof read 
my OP before I sent it as I was just as concerned with you about its 
touch with reality. He agreed with my OP so I sent it.

>
> The traits you ascribe to the whole are really limited to a tiny few, 
> and do not fit the community. There is no pervasive "self-entitled, 
> elitist attitude". Not even close. There is much, much more of a 
> "can-do, volunteer, what-can-I-do-for-myself-and-the-community" 
> attitude. That should be appreciated by anyone who benefits.
>
> The fact that you include the Maemo council in this flawed assessment 
> speaks volumes. There has indeed been the occasional representative 
> that, in my opinion, reflects those traits, but not the majority. Most 
> of those who have stood worked long, frustrating hours to act as 
> advocates for Maemo. What you may see now is just increased anxiety 
> and frustration at Maemo reaching an apparent end-of-life with many 
> issues left unresolved. A disappointment that we could not completely 
> liberate Maemo. But don't for one second think we believe ourselves to 
> be "self-entitled" or act "elitist". Nothing could be further from the 
> truth.

I rarely see any visible work from the council. I frequent the maemo.org 
home page, this list, and infrequently the t.m.o forum. I, like many OSS 
folk, prefer mailing lists over web forums for discussions. The one time 
I can recount any council discussion was talk about an ad banner on 
maemo.org. Any other discussions were either less memorable or were 
posted in areas that were out of sight to me. I felt I had a good view 
of the community so if it was out of sight to me then the council lacked 
transparency.

>
> As for MeeGo, don't blame the volunteer community for issues. You need 
> to separate volunteers from paid participants. You and I might find 
> some agreement once you do so.
Perhaps. I've ignored MeeGo after my first encounters were with the 
community members and not actual participants. My larger problem with 
MeeGo is stated in my reply to Sivan.
>
> At least you acknowledge that your allegations are subjective. Could 
> it be that your approach and mindset might play a part in how your 
> questions and comments are perceived? If you honestly think that your 
> negative assessment affects the whole (which completely flies in the 
> face of not just reality but probability itself) then I daresay you 
> may well be injecting much of it.
>
> It's unfortunate you felt led to insult the community at large for 
> actions of an unrepresentative few. That works against solving any 
> problems you perceive. I urge you to rethink your approach and 
> conclusions. Broad accusations hurt more than help.
>
These two paragraphs highlight why I made my original e-mail. Your reply 
is an attempt to attack me. I never "insulted" anyone. The adjectives I 
used were earned.

Out of the many communities I have involved myself with Maemo stands out 
as a negative to me. While I am open to re-engage the community on a 
positive level, the problem about its future still stands.