[slime-devel] Re: cutting up slime.el

[Jyrki Jaakkola]

Helmut Eller wrote:
> * Attila Lendvai [2007-02-01 15:56+0100] writes:
> 
>>>> my actual problem is that Helmut moved some annoying compatibility
>>>> definitions out of the way (to the end of the file) but i'm using some
>>>> of them in the darcs repo while loading. i've moved these back to the
>>>> head of the file there, but such changes are moving the branches
>>>> further away.
>>> Attila, there is not enough room for both us on this project.  Either
>>> you leave or I'll leave it.
>> uh, i'm surprised to hear this. i guess this is the point in movies
>> when people quietly start to flee from the bar... :)
>>
>> but seriously, my wording may have been ambigous... i didn't mean it
>> as a critique that you moved those functions out of the way - i also
>> cosider that a good change. i'm simply trying to minimize the distance
>> between the branches while keeping them in sync.
>>
>> and to make it also clear: my branch only exists for clearly practical
>> reasons, there are no bad feelings behind on my part.
>>
>> otoh, i don't know what else i could say. in a way i'm already off
>> this project by not committing to the cvs anymore (to avoid these kind
>> of arguments). but until now i tought that i'll share those
>> ideas/changes of mine that i think are most probably not against the
>> desire of most of the users.
> 
> My patience with you is exhausted.  You repeatedly said that you don't
> like the way that I/we work.  You even created a fork and advertised
> it on any occasion.  Do you expect that I work for you to make it
> easier for you to maintain it?  Do you expect that I spend the time to
> answer your questions?  You can share your ideas with those people who
> use your fork, but your comments on this list are certainly against my
> desire.

The problem with communicating through emails is that it's very easy to 
interpret what people say differently than they meant as there is only 
text and no expressions. It's also that we may reply too hastily and 
without thinking which causes us to write something we wouldn't normally 
say. It's better to make it up and move forward than not settle the 
things. Sometimes we have to make compromises so that things could go on 
as life isn't all black and white.

As I'm not slime developer I don't have right to say what people should 
do but I think every project needs new blood now and then and also the 
ideas which new people bring to the project. It's also that as there 
comes new people which try to learn lisp there may come more platforms 
which we should support that we don't drive those new people away from lisp.

We all have our faults but I think we shouldn't think only about 
ourselves but the whole community. These kinds of disparities could 
cause quite much ruckus, even causing many good projects to grind to 
halt as people have gone away from the project because of disparities.

Although it could be seen as I'm taking sides on this I'm not against 
one or the other as both have good ideas and good causes. I would like 
to see them making it up. This doesn't mean that I want people to act 
like nothing has happened but I would like to see people come to terms 
with each other. I know from own experience that it isn't easy to make 
it up with other people.

Sincerely,

Jyrki Jaakkola