[boost] Boost Incubator Status Report

Subject: [boost] Boost Incubator Status Report
From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2014-11-05 12:42:07

Felix Uhl wrote
> On 28/10/2014, Rob Stewart wrote:
> 
>  >Currently, I am documenting the first version of the library to make it
>>available on the Boost Library Incubator website,
> 
> I can hear Robert yelling, "Yes!"

Yes!

The experience so far with the incubator is very interesting.  Here are
couple of observations.

a) I anticipated more submissions since the process seems so easy and the
bar is very low.  As a practical matter the requirements boil down to having
code, tests, documentation which implies some examples.  There are no
restrictions of format of any of these things.   But if you troll the net
looking for libraries very few library ideas fulfill these requirements.  It
turns out that fulfilling even these modest (in my view) requirements is
more than many people find necessary.

b) The quality of the submissions is a lot better then I had anticipated. 
All of them are credible, serious efforts which are worthy of serious
consideration for inclusion in Boost.   That's not to say that all would
eventually be accepted as I have only given them a cursory examination.

c) There are very few comments on the pages of the website and on the
library pages.  So far there is only one formal review.  I'm sort of
disappointed in this.  It goes to our problem in getting enough reviews in
general.  The one review (boost compute) was from one who downloaded and
tested the library, liked it, and included it in production.  Of course the
review was very positive.  I would hope to see more of this in the future.

d) To support more reviews, I have on my todo list to keep track of who
invokes the download/repo links and match them up with the users email
address and send out a gentle reminder that if he spent the time to look at
and consider the library, he should either comment or add a formal review. 
I would also like to see some of the posting on this list regarding library
proposals to moved to the library comments page.  Another alternative would
be to link from the library comment page to the developer's list thread(s)
which touch upon the library.  In any case, I want to see more activity in
this area.  Any of these require good experience with wordpress and some
available time - so I don't see these happening soon.

e) I would like to see a little more support from Boost Steering Committee
on this effort.  Specifically I would like to see the Announcement that
Boost endorses the Boost Library Incubator (www.blincubator) packaged and
distributed as press release so that it would show up in places like Dr
Dobbs Journal. (http://www.drdobbs.com) and isocpp.org (http://isocpp.org). 
It is a great disappointment to me that in spite of a fair amount of effort,
I've been unable to get these sites (among others) to announce the Boost
endorsement of Boost Library Incubator.

Finally - By next monday, I'll have in place a new facility. This is support
on the library page whereby companies which have interest in a particular
library will be able to contact the library author in order to offer
financial sponsorship for his efforts.   Companies which do this will be
able to ask for special features and/or extensions, custom versions, extra
support or anything they want.  Authors will have the option of placing
sponsors logos and links on their library pages.  This will offer developers
of open source the first opportunity in history to be compensated as the
rock stars we are.

Thanks for everyone for help so far in promoting the Boost Library
Incubator.  Please continue your efforts.

Robert Ramey

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