Re: Basic Bazaar guide for Emacs hackers.

[Karl Fogel]

On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 1:21 AM, Óscar Fuentes <address@hidden> wrote:
> I'm not against recommending the distributed workflow. Actually, the
> workflow that I use for my work is far more complex than the distributed
> one recommended by Karl. What I find puzzling is the hostility towards
> the centralized workflow described on BzrQuickStartForEmacsDevs. It is a
> correct practice, which Bazaar proudly advertises as one of its multiple
> supported workflows. In the context of Emacs, every developer can use
> the distributed workflow, the centralized one or even switch between
> them at any time without causing harm to the project or inconveniencing
> other developers, as far as he follows some simple rules when he sends
> his changes upstream.
>
> I have the impression that some people thinks that having developers not
> using a distributed workflow since day one would signal a failed
> transition, or a failure of Bazaar itself adapting to the project. Quite
> the contrary: the fact that Bazaar supports multiple compatible
> workflows allowing each user to choose whatever suits him better is,
> possibly, the best selling point for Bazaar.

Sorry, if I ever gave that impression, I didn't mean to.

I don't think there's anything objectively wrong with someone
choosing the non-distributed workflow.  My concern is simply that
the Emacs project be able to clearly and unambiguously answer
the question "How do I hack on Emacs?"

The answer to that question *cannot* be "First go learn all the
different ways you can use Bazaar, then pick one, set yourself
up, and start coding."  That would be a hackability nightmare
for contributors, and a support nightmare for the project.

The multiplicity of workflows available in Bazaar has not, historically,
been a selling point, much as we might theorize it is.  Instead, the
richness of the tool tends to confuse users -- even sophisticated
users, sometimes.  (The Bazaar project realizes this and is working
to fix it.)

Stephen and I have worked on distributed projects using Bazaar
before, and both find that the workflow described in BzrForEmacsDevs
strikes a decent balance between ease of learning and suitability for
the Emacs project.  Therefore, we want to hand it out as the *default*
answer for the question "How do I hack on Emacs?"

That doesn't mean it's the only way.  But I can tell you right now (having
experienced *exactly this phenomenon* in other projects) that if every
time someone posts asking how to get involved now that Emacs is
in Bazaar, they get several different and seemingly inconsistent answers,
their hacking energy will be quickly depleted.

We've been there.  We've seen it.  I'll consider it both a personal and a
systemic failure if this project fails to take advantage of this highly
relevant experience accumulated by (at least) two of its participants :-).