Re: [boost] Re: [gmane.editors.lyx.devel] possible boost patch [w asdying in boost/regex]

From: David Abrahams (david.abrahams_at_[hidden])
Date: 2002-07-02 06:35:21

From: "Lars Gullik Bjønnes" <larsbj_at_[hidden]>

> Bjorn.Karlsson_at_[hidden] writes:
>
> >> From: larsbj_at_[hidden] [mailto:larsbj_at_[hidden]]
> | [snip]
> >> It would be nice if someone bothered to answer...
> | [snip]
> >
> | Even Boosters take a few days off from time to time...in this case, the
> | maintainer of boost.regex is unavailable, but I think he'll be back in
about
> | a week.
>
> I guess you noticed that the original mail was posted june 12...
> (even getting someone else to tell that the maintainer "is now at
> vacation, please repost in 1,2,3,4 weeks" would suffice)

Well, John is in fact back from vacation; at least, he posted something
just yesterday IIRC.

> To me this seems to be one problem with Boost, all developers just sit
> on their own turf (read: library) and does not bother to look at
> others.

Oh, please! Most of the developers are at least using some components from
another boost library.

> In essence this mean that using boost.devel to report bugs is just a
> waste of time, you always have to get in contact with the library
> maintainer (which is most often one single person.) It would be a lot
> better if the "hard-core" boosters also looked at other libraries and
> helped to get obvious and easy patches committed without having to
> rely on just the library maintainer.

That actually happens from time-to-time.
I could also say "it would be a lot better if the community at large was
making a bigger contribution". We hard-cores are busy people.

> Note that I am not claiming that the patch in question is obvious or
> correct... but when I post small snippets/patches to boost.devel the
> usual response is utter silence... only when I start pestering people
> and resending patches do I get a response.

Bjorn is our maintenance wizard. Pestering people and keeping track of
outstanding patches are his jobs, but he only recently took this project
on, so perhaps you have not given him a chance yet?

> Even if this sounds a bit negative, I am really grateful for the time
> and effort the boosters put into this.

Your gratefulness is appreciated, but I would much prefer you would ask
yourself what you can do to make a difference. Perhaps you and Bjorn can
find a way to reduce response times...

-Dave

BTW, other projects use the (IMO lousy but perhaps better than nothing)
SourceForge patch tracker; it's taken for granted that patches will be
forgotten unless they're in the tracker.