[Python-Dev] Re: python-dev Summary for 2005-01-16 through 2005-01-31

["Martin v. Löwis"]

Steve Holden wrote:
> Now, the reason for this specific rant is this: I can tell a cry for 
> help when I see one. Brett has done a magnificent job of providing 
> python-dev summaries since Andrew decided he'd had enough, and he is to 
> be congratulated for it. I managed to offload another bunch of work on 
> him (moderation of various troublesome PyCon mailing lists), but at 
> least I was able to recompense him by letting him into PyCon for nothing.

The more I participate, the more I can relate to Eric Raymond's notion
of a "gift society". Volunteers give their contributions to the
community just because they want to, and they may get recognition in
return. But because these are gifts, you can just stop giving them away
at any time, and nobody should feel bad about doing so. The community
only is only entitled to the contributor saying so - finding somebody
else to step in is indeed optional.

I don't actually know whether Brett would prefer to hand over the
python-dev summaries to somebody else, but if he wants to, he could
just *stop* publishing them, with nobody taking over, and my
appreciation of this contribution would not change at all. Continuing
it until a new volunteer steps forward is, as I said, truly optional.

I still recall when Tim Peters reappeared in the net (even though
I haven't been around long enough to remember him disappear), and
I know I didn't understand all the cheering and praising (I do
now, of course). So their isn't anything wrong with taking a
vacation from a project for some time, not even if the vacation
takes a few years :-)

Enough ranting.

Regards,
Martin