[Bf-committers] Reducing email overhead

[jonathan ferguson]

hi.

I'm in favor of leaving the list as it stands. Please don't change  
it. Here's why:

Keeping the discussions posting to the list helps to keep them  
public. When people post extra stuff to the list, the list becomes  
friendlier--- and people are more willing to send queries and post  
final solutions.

Solutions when posted to the list are much more readily researched  
(as one only need to search their inbox, or bf-commiters folder or  
google the list archive). That reduces overhead--- because commiters  
can say: go  here. It's easier to track threads too--- on lists that  
go part-private default reply to sender only, people frequently only  
post part of their conversations--- without realizing it at all. I've  
seen this, and it tends to make lists quite unfriendly and hard to  
use. Worse, that leads to extra traffic and confusion. [And  
"confusion leads to suffering, and suffering leads to anger, and  
anger leads to hate and hate leads to the Dark Side!"]

Yoda aside, like Kent, I'd rather have more email that i filter and  
quickly skim, than broken email threads, and email i don't have  
access to immediately--- if ever... Contributors come and go, and  
what proof do they leave, but comments on this list (and others) and  
forums. Lists push the information into people's boxes, but forums do  
not. RSS helps with the "push" idea, but it only goes half-way. Lists  
keep people reminded--- and involved---  sure there can be too much  
"reminding" but modern email clients can help reduce that if people  
so wish (threads, filters, etc).

Finally, having to deal with this problem is a wonderful sign: Lots  
of people have interest and want to volunteer for the blender  
project. Way to go developers, evangelists, artists and users! In the  
dot org era, are not such large groups of people just so very  
important to the success of the project overall? The bf-commiter's  
list isn't just mindless traffic. It is all relevant to the blender  
project. The project is bigger than it has been, no? I strongly feel  
that such growth should be encouraged by keeping discussions open and  
public.

have a nice day.yad
jdpf