[Python-Dev] draft of patch guidelines

[Chad Whitacre]

Brett,

>> I think this is less accurate. Patches languish because of limited time
>> *and* because newbies don't have any social capital w/in the Python
>> community. New patch contributors are volunteers too, so they understand
>> that constraint. Their big problem is their outsider status, to which
>> the patch angels/5-for-1 system is an elegant solution. And that's what
>> should be emphasized in this FAQ.
> 
> But that makes us sound elitist.

To be honest I took away the opposite lesson. New patch contributors 
acutely feel their outsider status; this is to be expected in any social 
system. The fact that there is a clear, established path for newcomers 
to follow -- the 5-for-1 rule -- is precisely what makes the Python 
community non-elitist in this instance. Transparent documentation on 
this point would further erode any elitism.



chad