Hi,<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Apr 18, 2009 at 1:21 PM, Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:hns@goldelico.com">hns@goldelico.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div class="im"><br>
Am 11.04.2009 um 22:09 schrieb Gerald A:<br>
<br>
</div><div class="im">> Wow, project planning? Sounds more like a cathedral then a bazaar.<br>
> But maybe that's the way hardware has to be? I dunno, I'm a software<br>
> guy. :)<br>
<br>
</div><div><div></div><div class="h5">This appears to me the biggest mis-conception of the Openmoko<br>
community. That an unirganized an-archy, i.e. missing planning and<br>
organization, helps to successfully complete projects, especially for<br>
FOSS in the long run.</div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>I'm not saying that a project has to be adrift and without any organization or goals. However, I do believe that motivated individuals can play key roles in making certain pieces move forward in ways not possible in "traditional" projects. For example, if someones hardware hot button is IR remote controls, then with that person's contribution, we have the potential to have an awesome remote. Is that a goal, central to the project? Probably not. But it could be a viable niche market, which comes along with almost no cost to the project base.</div>
<div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div><div class="h5">Team building theory (Harvard) shows that a successful team has 4<br>
phases:<br>
1. forming<br>
2. storming<br>
3. norming<br>
4. performing<br>
<br>
In phase 1 everyone is happy to be part of the idea. People decide to<br>
participate or not.<br>
In phase 2 everyone runs in the direction he thinks it must go. In<br>
this phase many great things are achieved by individuals - but they<br>
don't fit together<br>
Phase 3 typically starts with desillusionment. People find that they<br>
have to negotiate many aspects that things fit together<br>
Finally, in phase 4 (mature project) it is clear how to reach the<br>
goals in an efficient way<br></div></div></blockquote></div><br><div>Yes, this is great ... if you are building a project for a team. I'm not saying that shouldn't be the core, but what I'm suggesting is that J. Random (Hardware) Hacker should still be able to whip up something interesting and "submit patches" which can be considered for inclusion. Again, this is my software side bubbling through, but I've seen some really awesome home brew stuff which was one off, and that sort of thing is what we should be fostering. (Whether the "patches" are included in a product, totally different story).</div>
<div><br></div><div>Thanks,</div><div>Gerald.</div>