[Python-Dev] Propaganda of the deed and other topics

[Eric S. Raymond]

Guido van Rossum <guido@digicool.com>:
> (But note that I didn't ask you to go ahead and do it.  Last time when
> I started doing this I got quite a few comments from python-dev
> readers who thought it was a bad idea, so I backed off.  It's up to
> you to convince them now. :-)

I'd forgotten that discussion.  But, as a general comment...

Propaganda of the deed, Guido.  Sometimes this crew is too reflexively
conservative for my taste.  I have a repertoire of different responses
when my desire to make progress collides with such conservatism; one
of them, when I don't see substantive objections and believe I can
deal with the political fallout more easily than living with the
technical problem, is to just freakin' go ahead and *do* it.

This makes some people nervous.  That's OK with me -- I'd rather be
seen as a bit of a loose cannon than just another lump of inertia.
(If nothing else, I find the primate-territoriality reactions I get
from the people I occasionally piss off entertaining to watch.)  I
pick my shots carefully, however, and as a result people usually
conclude after the fact that this week's cowboy maneuver was a good
thing even if they were a touch irritated with me at the time.

In the particular case of the string-method cleanup, I did get the
impression in New York that you wanted to attack this problem but for
some reason felt you could not.  I am strongly predisposed to be
<laughter mode="mad-scientist">helpful</laughter> in such situations,
and let the chips fall where they may.

So try not to be surprised if I do more stuff like this -- in fact, if
you really don't want me to go cowboy on you occasionally you probably
shouldn't talk about your wish-list in my presence.  

On the other hand, feel very free to reverse me and slap me down if I
pull something that oversteps the bounds of prudence or politeness.
Firstly, I'm not thin-skinned that way; nobody with my working style
can afford to be.  Secondly, as the BDFL you have both the right and
the responsibility to rein me in; if I weren't cool with that I
wouldn't be here.

> > (This is one of those times when it's a really, *really* good thing that
> > most modules have an attached self-test.  I supplied a couple of these
> > where they were lacking, and improved several of the existing test jigs.)
> 
> Excellent!

One of the possible futures I see for myself in this group, if both of
the library PEPs you and I have contemplated go through and become
policy, is as Keeper Of The Libraries analogously to the way that Fred
Drake is Keeper Of The Documentation.  I would enjoy this role; if I
grow into it, you can expect to see me do a lot more active
maintainence of this kind.

There's another level to this that I should try to explain...among the
known hazards of being an international celebrity and famously
successful project lead is that one can start to believe one is too
good to do ordinary work.  In order to prevent myself from become
bogotified in this way, I try to have at least project going at all
times in which I am a core contributor but *not* the top banana.  And
I deliberately look for a stable to muck out occasionally, as I did
last night and as I would do on a larger scale if I were the library
keeper.

Python looks like being my `follower' project for the foreseeable
future.  Take that as a compliment, Guido, because it is meant as one
both professionally and personally.  This crew may be (probably is)
the most tasteful, talented and mature development group I have ever
had the privilege to work with.   I still rue the fact that I couldn't
get you guys to come work for VA...
-- 
		<a href="http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>

Alcohol still kills more people every year than all `illegal' drugs put
together, and Prohibition only made it worse.  Oppose the War On Some Drugs!