[crossfire] skill window

[Brendan Lally]

On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:30:56 -0500
Kevin Bulgrien <kbulgrien at att.net> wrote:

> > 
> > http://wiki.metalforge.net/doku.php/gtk-v2_ui_updates
> > 
> > Where these responses can be collected.
> > 
> > The other advantage of this approach is that if no verdict or
> > comments are given after a month or two, then it is probably safe
> > to consider that layout unused and unloved, and then to consider it
> > for exclusion from future releases and ultimately removal from the
> > SVN repository.
> 
> Surely you jest.  Just how often is the quantity of wiki edits /
> month or two an accurate sampling of the entire crossfire player
> population's views on anything?

I'm hoping the answer to that is, 'when there are a number of mailing
list, IRC and forum posts inviting, with ever escalating persistence, an
expression of such views.

That probably means up to 4 mailing list posts & forum posts +
at least that quantity of IRC discussions which follow the following
form:

1) There is a proposal to change layouts, can all layout
owners/maintainers give their verdicts and interested users give
comments.

[2-4 weeks later]

2) Please give all comments and verdicts to the layout change proposals
in the next 2 weeks, the following layouts are lacking any response:
....
the following layouts have comments but no owner verdict.
...
[2-4 weeks thereafter]

3) The following layouts have not received a response from the
owner/maintainer regarding the change n. 
...
Please can any commentators
who wish to take over maintenance of these layouts contact the mailing
list.

[2-4 weeks thereafter]

4) The following layouts received no response at all to the proposed
layout change n, 
...
and are now considered abandoned, they will be removed
prior to the next release.

There may also be a case for a crossfire-announce posting to be made in
the lead-up to a release, probably a couple of weeks beforehand so that
there is time for anyone who doesn't read the main mailing list to
yell. (Although then you might question how much such a person really
cares about the ongoing development of CF, and if they would really
notice).

The overall aims here are:
1) That the number of layouts remains fewer than the number of players,
preferably substantially fewer.
2) That the majority of players using the majority of layouts should
benefit from work being done on client changes, unless they are
deliberately choosing layouts which are designed not to.

My view would tend to be that if: 
* There is a layout currently that is intended never to be updated, 
* It is for the use of a single individual, who has decided that it is
perfect as it is 

Then that shouldn't be in SVN, and shouldn't be a choice in the
client as it is distributed by default. By all means keep a backup
somewhere globally accessible, along with instructions for using it
with a client, but for someone new to CF, who discovers the layout
selection widget for the first time, they should expect that the
selections they choose from correspond vaguely with the documentation
that they will read, and not have something which is hugely different
(other than in the ways that are a design feature of the layout)

The case of an underused layout where there is a desire to see it
actively maintained is a different matter, I'd hope that all the
current layouts fall into this category, and the only question is over
how to implement such maintenance (if at all).
 
> > Obviously if there are vastly differing and strongly held
> > sentiments in terms of what should be done for any given layout,
> > then that makes the case for creating another new layout.

If no one cares to express such views over the course of several
months, the conclusion must be that they are not strongly held.

Brendan.