[MATRIX-SIG] [long] A NO-Proposal for a plot-package

[Geoffrey Furnish]

David Ascher writes:
 > Do we need to discuss this on the meta-sig, as for new sigs, or does this
 > count as a splinter group (faction? =))?

You have to go through meta-sig eventually, in order to get the PSA
folks to actually instantiate the list.  But there is no harm in
hashing out the basic plan here, so that there is a unified and
basically community-accepted plan by the time you take it to meta-sig,
especially since it seems likely that the new list will draw most of
its (at least initial) participation from matrix-sig.

At this point I think we need to resolve two things:

1) What is the name of the proposed new sig.  Is it plot-sig, or
   sci-sig.  This obviously impacts the sig charter and expected usage
   significantly.

2) Who is the owner going to be?  Its not a particularly big job, but
   it should be someone who cares enough to keep things in order if
   need be.  

My view on 1) is that a plot sig would be thoroughly adjunct, whereas
a sci-sig might hijack matrix-sig.  If the new sig ended up absorbing
all trafic from matrix sig, then there is no point in making the new
sig, and good reason not to do it.  A plotting sig would draw off only
the plotting discussion from matrix-sig, and would not be a threat to
the existence or continued operation of matrix-sig.  A sci-sig might,
I'm not sure.  Others should voice opinion on that concern.  Maybe its
a non issue, I'm just not sure.

Not that it would necessarily be inherently bad if sci-sig superceded
matrix-sig.  That might be a reasonable progression.  But whatever
happens should happen by design and because people want things to move
that way, rather than by unfortuitous happenstance.

My view on 2) is that it should be anybody but me.  I'm already
running a different sig, and I'm too vested in PLplot.  A sig should
be moderator-neutral.

-- 
Geoffrey Furnish                email: furnish@lanl.gov
LANL CIC-19 POOMA/RadTran       phone: 505-665-4529     fax: 505-665-7880

"Here are your ball-peen hammers.  Now go malleate some heads!"   -Jim Morel

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