----- Original Message -----
I think the last bullet point here is the important part. I
understand
the disposition for a technical solution, but someone that just drops
their package in - even after two months - isn't really getting a sense
of community out of the experience. The process as-is, while it can be
frustrating for all the reasons described, encourages new contributors
to get acquainted with their fellow packagers and their sponsors.
I'm not suggesting a de facto "you must be sociable to be a Fedora
Packager", but the process does reinforce that you're not alone when you
get stuck, and you're not so isolated that nobody cares if you make a
mistake. The informal reviews, irc chats, and list mails don't just
garner experience; they help develop a sense of participation, and that
leads to greater contributor retention.
I believe we are talking past each other. My point is
* The process doesn't work
and your reply is:
* The process was designed with good mindset, and should help everyone become better
acquanted with Fedora.
The latter are intentions and side effects which are good, _if and only if_ the process
works well, which is not the case here.
Maybe some list or other communication channel that's more
clearly for
packaging issues - I'm told devel@ can be intimidating - would help, but
I'm not really suggesting anything specific. Everyone in the thread
here, and probably far more, have answered inane questions from me at
one time or another :P Sometimes more process and more guides can help,
and sometimes you just need to bounce your understanding of the subject
off someone to clear up misconceptions and gain a little confidence.
That part isn't broken, but maybe new packagers don't know it.
The issue I'm trying to point is not lack of communication or getting informal
reviews. The issue I'm trying to point is about getting _formal_ reviews, or
to simply, to get the job done.
regards,
Nikos