Re: [Gnu-arch-users] "tla commit" generates a patch-set even if there are no changes

[James Blackwell]

In lists.arch.users, you wrote:
> On Fri, May 21, 2004 at 03:09:02PM -0400, James Blackwell wrote:
>> As such, I really don't want to worry about today's users at the costs
>> of tomorrow's users. Sure, we may break the interface today and piss off
>> some of our users. Who knows. Maybe we'd even loose a few. More likely,
>> those with scripts will grumble and whine that the tool has changed, fix
>> their scripts. Two months later, they won't even remember that they had
>> to change the script.
>
> I whole heartedly agree.  It'd be nice to get somebody who understand user 
> interfaces to help even out the interface.  Once though you have gotten
> the interface set in stone, I hope that breaking the interface is subject
> to some kind of change control.

We talked out of band about this one a little bit. I whole-heartedly
agree. Some day, when we've got two million users, we should approach
any modification/deletion to the interface with trepidation.

>> Obviously, we should go through the pains of clearing up the interface
>> today. We should eliminate tripping hazards in today's interface by 
>> ensuring that all commands have a consistant interface (even if that
>> breaks the nine or ten scripts 'out there'). We should make sure that
>> our surface lines up as straight as possible today, so that when we do
>> cast our interface in concrete, we have a nice, straight path for users.
>> 
>
> As a sysadmin, it's important that tools change as little as
> possible especially for revision control because my users would
> write wrapper scripts around tla (they do for cvs today) because in
> a large environment like mine computing environment architects they
> don't have time to handhold other users on how to use a tool and
> thus are wrapperized to do specific tasks.
>

Again, when arch has a large following, I agree. But we're not there
yet. 


> Changing the interfaces causes unacceptable breakages that can create
> a lot of problems.  You certainly don't want to encourage enterprise
> or business use if you plan on creating interface design flux.
>
> I do urge though that some kind of change control be in place
> at some point in the future and that you have a structured
> process in making those changes as well.  

I agree.


-- 
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