[Python-Dev] Python Core Mentorship program

[Jesse Noller]

On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 5:55 PM, Ben Finney <ben+python at benfinney.id.au> wrote:
> Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org> writes:
>
>> On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 1:57 PM, Ben Finney <ben+python at benfinney.id.au> wrote:
>> > Surely a forum specifically for mentorship will be more useful if
>> > outsiders can be directed to existing discussions, without needing to
>> > join the private club.
>>
>> This argument comes up repeatedly. Some people object on principle to
>> all closed lists.
>
> I apologise if anyone mistakes my position as that.
>
> Closed forums are necessary for all kinds of reasons. If my position
> were against all closed forums, people would be correct to regard that
> position as too extreme.
>
> No, I'm pointing out that a closed forum *for mentorship specifically*
> is undermining the goal of mentorship: to efficiently share valuable
> knowledge and help newbies learn from existing discussions with experts
> and other newbies.
>
> One of the great things about a discussion forum open view for the
> public is that, when a topic comes up again in a *different* forum, I
> can easily point anyone to the existing discussion without requiring
> that they join some private group. That's invaluable for spreading
> knowledge freely.

Ben,

In principle I agree with you - I would like open archives for the
specific reasons you cite, but I value the ability for people who may
not be comfortable with coming out and openly discussing things on a
list if they know it's open to the magical powers of google and public
archives. Heck, having open archives makes it *easier to find out*
about the list itself, serving the purpose even more.

But - weighed in favor of the target audience (those that may not yet
be comfortable with "full disclosure", or discussing personality
clashes on the tracker, or those worried about future employers
digging up stuff) - I want to error on the side of the closed list
archives for now. In several months, we all might realize it was a
monumental mistake. At that time, we can fix the problem.

"The perfect is the enemy of the good." :)

jesse