Response to "Getting Fedora Out of the If-Then Loop"

Greg DeKoenigsberg gdk at redhat.com
Thu Feb 18 22:30:29 UTC 2010


On Thu, 18 Feb 2010, Máirín Duffy wrote:

> On Thu, 2010-02-18 at 12:17 -0600, Adam Miller wrote:
>
>> I'm just going to be straight with it, would the Board be happier if 
>> the entire Spins SIG closed up shop and we got KDE, Xfce, LXDE, or 
>> anything else that were to pop up completely out of the repositories so 
>> that we can focus on the golden child? Is that what this is about? 
>> Because at this point I'm just tired of the ambiguity and if that is 
>> what's desired, then lets just say it and move on.
>
> Can I ask you a question:
>
> Do you work on non-default spins with the expectation/hope that someday
> it will be crowned prom queen / I mean be the default spin?

I don't think it's entirely fair to boil it down to a simple popularity 
contest.  I think it's reductive and unhelpful.

Think of it this way: every Fedora subproject, from the lowest SIG to the 
loftiest, competes for resources, to a greater or lesser extent.

Like the homepage, for instance.  The homepage of redhat.com, for example, 
is the subject of insanely brutal infighting, because everyone wants to 
see their baby get equal treatment.  Which is fair, btw, and which we will 
see more and more in Fedora-land as we continue to discuss issues of 
"focus".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy

"Attention", or "focus" if you prefer, is a scarce resource.  If you work 
on KDE or Xfce, and all of the conversation is continually around "focus", 
and it seems like that "focus" discussion continues to be "a usability 
focus on the primary spin," then one wonders "will I have access to these 
resources?"  In fact, one knows the answer, and therefore doesn't bother 
to ask.

I'm not saying that it's an easy issue to sort out, and ultimately focus 
*is* required, and like it or not, in some cases that means "winners and 
losers".  But don't pretend those issues aren't important.  They are.

--g

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