[Python-Dev] Encouraging developers

[Terry Reedy]

"Phil Thompson" <phil at riverbankcomputing.co.uk> wrote in message 
news:200703051930.20868.phil at riverbankcomputing.co.uk...
| On Monday 05 March 2007 6:46 pm, A.M. Kuchling wrote:
| > FWIW, I have a related perception that we aren't getting new core
| > developers. These two problems are probably related: people don't get
| > patches processed and don't become core developers, and we don't have
| > enough core developers to process patches in a timely way.  And so
| > we're stuck.
| >
| > Any ideas for fixing this problem?
|
| 1. Don't suggest to people that, in order to get their patch reviewed, 
they
| should review other patches. The level of knowledge required to put 
together
| a patch is much less than that required to know if a patch is the right 
one.
|
| 2. Publically identify the core developers and their areas of expertise 
and
| responsibility (ie. which parts of the source tree they "own").
|
| 3. Provide a forum (a python-patch mailing list) where patches can be
| proposed, reviewed and revised informally but quickly.
|
| 4. Acceptance by core developers that only half the "job" is developing 
the
| core - the other half is mentoring potential future core developers.

Tracker item review is an obvious bottleneck in Python development.  In 
particular,
reviewing patches appears not to be nearly as self-motivating as writing 
them, and other activities.  So I think the PSF should pay one or more 
people to do so.  Possibly set up a patch review fund and solicit 
donations.  And, donators should get priority attention to their 
submissions.  For commercial developers, this would probably be cheaper, 
given the value of their time, than reviewing five other submissions.

Terry Jan Reedy