[maemo-developers] External Repository and HAM

[From: Graham Cobb]

On Monday 08 March 2010 17:32:27 Tim Teulings wrote:
> Hallo!
>
> >> And the most important things which guide my decision, is that
> >> currently, many thumb down make me angry as there was wrong vote, and
> >> the fact that i m passing more time to package than to develop didn't
> >> help.
> >
> > If the votes are wrong, complain.  If they are not, then fix them.  Don't
> >
> > split the user's experience.  Why do you think the answer is to make
>
> every
>
> Where? 

Good question.  I am hopeful the problem will improve as we get more written 
guidelines, so I am not particularly in favour of creating a formal "appeals" 
process.  So, my answer would be to try the following, in order:

1) Reply to the comment on the package page explaining why you think the 
assessment was wrong and asking future testers not to make the same 
assessment.

2) Contact people who you think have made an incorrect assessment by email and 
ask them to change their vote.  Be polite and explain why you disagree.

3) Take the issue to this list (maemo-developers).  Not as a general whine 
about the process or as a complaint about an individual, but as a specific 
request for discussion and feedback on the particular issue on which you 
cannot agree.  If there is strong support for your position on the list you 
can ask those supporters to also test and vote on your application.

4) If you really can't resolve things, take the issue to the council.  But the 
council are likely to take the discussion to the community, unless it is 
clear you have been the victim of unfair behaviour (e.g. someone has created 
lots of accounts to vote you down).

> Is there anyone
> working on the interface to improve/fix?

The MeeGo work is obviously taking some resources but we need to make sure 
that keeping the Maemo processes working is high enough up people's priority 
lists.  That is an issue for the council and I will raise it.  

By the way, if developers want to make sure that there continues to be focus 
on the infrastructure and processes for Maemo we need to make sure there are 
at least a couple of developers on the next council!  However exciting MeeGo 
is, most development will still be on Maemo for quite some time.  I do not 
plan to stand for the next council so I hope some other developers will 
stand.

> >From the developer view this does not feel lightweight (or better fast)
>
> enough. There were discussions about fast tracking, reducing the time
> limit, the number of votes etc, there weere even strong complains... but I
> feel not much happend :-/

To me it feels reasonably lightweight, but certainly not fast.  I think that 
should improve, with more committed testers and (soon, I hope) better 
guidance on the criteria.  I know it can be frustrating but I really am not 
keen on making major changes until we have experience of how the smaller 
improvements had worked.  Otherwise we risk just destabilising things again.

We should think about a fast track process for updates to apps which are 
already in Extras (for example, the same process but with 3 days and 5 votes 
needed).  On the other hand, it may be that apps which are already in Extras 
really don't need any help -- you can post an announcement to Talk and ask 
existing users to come and do a check of the update and vote for it.

Graham