[Axiom-developer] RE: The 30 Year Horizon

[Bill Page]

Tim,

On November 6, 2006 4:06 PM you wrote:
> 
> Ok. Clearly I'm not getting my point across.
> And we're not communicating.

I think you should try harder to communicate. Communication
involves both listening and speaking. You especially need to
read email messages more carefully. Actually it seems to me
that you got your point across a long time ago and that people
are in fact acting on the goals that you set, even if they are
not doing it in exactly the way you envisaged.

> So I'm going to try something else.
>

I know I'm not going to like it already ... ;)

 
> As of this moment Axiom is a complete democracy.
> 

I don't think organizing a project as a democracy is good idea
nor is it possible to create a democracy by fiat. People naturally
follow those people who lead, not necessarily those who are the
most vocal. As you have so often said when suggestions are being
made: "advocacy is volunteering" in other words "show me the code".
I strongly suspect that is how the Axiom project will continue to
evolve.

It seems to me that most open source project work by consensus
and compromise. When this fails, they either fork or die. I still
believe that consensus is possible here - after all we are not
such a big group of developers!

> ... 
> I will no longer be the "point of failure" in the project.
> You are all now responsible for either checking in your own
> changes or electing someone to do it for you.
>

I prefer the option of checking in our own changes following some
discussion on the axiom-devel email list.
 
> Releases will be done in any way you can all agree upon.
> 

I think we should adopt the standard open source policy of release
early and release often. This is not a commercial software project
with milestones and cut-off dates. It is an ongoing, evolving
collaboration between interesting parties to achieve a set of
common goals.

> Choose your own goals, create your own future.
>

We all do this every day.
 
> I'm stepping away from the lead developer role and will now
> act as just another developer.
> 

I regret your decision, but I respect it. :-) I don't think that
it really should need to be said, but since I am in the mood and
it surely can't hurt let me just say: Thank you for all your
previous hard work and for your continued commitment to Axiom.
I have no doubt that it will continue to be a benefit to many
people over the next 30 years...

Regards,
Bill Page.