Re: [gentoo-dev] Re: have portage be quiet by default

[Alec Warner]

On Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 10:34 AM, Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com> wrote:
> Zac Medico wrote:
>>
>> On 11/14/2011 09:38 AM, Dale wrote:
>>>
>>> As I type:
>>>
>>> emerge should show build output by default (unless --quiet-build=y) 42%
>>>
>>> So far that's the winner.  As I posted earlier, people expect things to
>>> work like they have always worked.  I say that as a user.
>>
>> As I've explained in my post to that forum thread [1], you have to
>> factor in the "silent majority" that welcomes the change and does not
>> express it publicly. A forumor mailing list thread tends to attract a
>> "vocal minority", which tends to bias the discussion (or voting results)
>> in way that does not give a fair statistical representation of the
>> gentoo population as a whole (it excludes the "silent majority"). It's
>> part of human nature that those who are displeased with the changed more
>> likely to speak up than those who welcome the change.
>>
>> [1]
>>
>> https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-6871718.html?sid=960ebd269384029c21e708d8dfa745ef#6871718
>
> The same could be said if the poll was going the other way as well.  If the
> results are not going to be used or just going to be explained away, then
> why have the poll to begin with?   I don't think you started the poll but
> just saying. . .

A common misconception is that input is being ignored because it did
not affect the results as expected.

I don't expect the poll's current results to change Zac's mind
(certainly not at the 60 / 40 it is currently at; that is not a
compelling story at all.) You can say that the 'majority wins' on the
poll; but the reality of the situation is that only a subset of users
actually use the forums and only a tiny subset of forums users
actually voted thus far (130 votes total at my reading.)

The story is not a compelling one; if it was 80 / 20 or something more
obvious and there were thousands of voters you might be able to draw a
more powerful conclusion from the poll; as it stands any conclusion
drawn are weak at best.

>
> Again, as a loooooong time user, I expect things to remain like they are
> unless that is going to break something or is a must change with no other
> option.  That does happen from time to time but this is not one of those
> times.  I shouldn't have to go override settings just to keep it like it
> was.
>
> All this said, if my opinion doesn't matter, that's fine.  I changed my
> make.conf already.  So now your change doesn't affect me.  It just may
> confuse the heck out of others that don't subscribe here and know about the
> change.  That is the biggest reason I subscribed here a long time ago.
>  Changes pop up that I wasn't expecting and I tend to like to see things
> coming even if it is a freight train.  ;-)  This gives me time to undo some
> things or at least prepare for them.

Your opinion does matter; just not enough to change the behavior ;)

-A

>
> Later.
>
> Dale
>
> :-)  :-)
>
> --
> I am only responsible for what I said ... Not for what you understood or how
> you interpreted my words!
>
>
>