Deposing Dictators

[Arthur_Siegel at rsmi.com]

>I don't get what you're trying to say. The reason, in retrospect, that I
>don't buy into the whole idea of mass ownership of Python is that the
>notion that our votes are supposed to dicate how a group of open
>source programmers are going to behave is ridiculous. We don't
>pay a red cent for Python, and don't really therefor have a right to
>dictate its direction.

All I am pointing to is that in fact someone who has devoted hundreds or
thousands of hours of free time to the Python development effort has 
exactly the same vote that you and I do on, for example, the acceptance 
of PEP238.  You talk of a THEY as if THEY were a unitfied body with
a consensus point of view - and it is that consensus view that gets
implemented.
I'm sure that there is some truth to that - that Guido considers hard the 
objections of people who have made concrete contributions.  Despite
how it might sound, I'm not trying to demonize anyone or anything.  But in the
end it is only HIM, not THEY who decides what is implemented.  And I
don't mean to be editorializing on that fact.  

I *am*  trying to influence some change in culture.  The Guido "knows
all but moves in strange ways" ethic is not one I am comfortable participating
in, and I am not sure why my choices would be to accept it or not
participate. 

And it would be hopeless to argue that that hasn't been the acceptable 
position for someone left with their mouth agape at some of what they see
and hear going on.

ART