Re: [gentoo-project] Improving developer/user communication

[lnxg33k]

George Prowse wrote:
> Well, i'm not sure if this list is working because I have not yet
> recieved any emails from it but...

It works, but no traffic to speak of yet.

> What ideas do people have for improving relations?

As for user's getting help, I've never had any problems between IRC, MLs,
bugzilla, and the forums. The problem is, not everyone knows how or wants to
experience all of those mediums.

As for actual dev/user communication, I find it rather difficult to discuss
topics with a developer due to protocol issues. For example, bugzilla is great
for getting involved in the gentoo project and getting direct feedback from a
dev. However, there is no real documentation giving background information on
how one should conduct themselves on bugzilla; therefore, I never feel overly
comfortable contributing there and feel a bit offset when a "WONTFIX" shows up
(getting over this as I have learned why/when this might be used). I know
others have felt the same way.

Forums take a while for people to get in the "proper" mindset and the same goes
for MLs although they are documented rather will (old netiquette articles). IRC
... is well, IRC and is another story all together. The point being, the
average user doesn't have good access to the devs simply due to their lack of
competency (I don't mean this in a negative way) for a specific communication
medium.

I don't know what all the above implies, but to say that I've never had a
significant issue getting help from a dev and that I'm not an average user.
There probably isn't anything the gentoo community can do other than be
tolerant of improper attempts at getting help and try to point them in the
right direction (which, I believe, happens already for the most part). Note
that asking for help is only a small part of communication and I can't speak
for that however I assume that the same would apply.

As for documentation regarding users joining the gentoo project beyond that of
a user role (ie: ATs, developers through quizes) ... the documentation could
use a lot of work with regards to clarity and organization. This isn't active
communication between a user and dev, but this information helps to inform
users of the process that goes on behind the curtain and therefore gives a
better understanding of how to conduct themselves and pose questions. This is a
bit beyond what was originally asked, but I think it's still an important
aspect of dev/user communication even if it is passive.

Hopefully the above was on topic and somewhat clear.
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