[wp-hackers] Improving the mailing list. (Was Auto Update Plugins)

[Eric Marden]

Additional Thoughts...

> * Focus on the technical aspects in the discussion.

And be prepared to be disagreed with. With some many technical folks  
its very easy to fall into the 'smartest kid in the room' syndrome.  
Know that there are folks with more experience, with WordPress and in  
Web Development in general.

> * Think about the users - not just what you think is right - It is  
> very hard for a developer to understand the end-users viewpoint.

Devs and Power users want to tinker. Most users do not.

> * Address real world problems

No edge cases.

> * Provide examples - if there is something you think you can't do  
> shows us what you have tried to do, shows the plugin/core code you  
> have written that you can't get to work.

I know I don't do enough of this, and don't see it often enough on  
this list either.



> * Try to avoid arriving with a just a solution.  You need to be able  
> to express the end-user issue as well as the reasoning as to why the  
> solution you propose matches it best.

User stories go a long way into focusing your thinking. Elegance =  
simplest thing that could possibly work and still solves the problem.


> * Work with the project philosophy not against it

http://codex.wordpress.org/Release_Philosophy

>
> * Release early, release often - If you have an idea that you think  
> is core worthy raise a trac ticket write a simple patch which  
> demonstrates the solution

Every line of code written isn't sacred. Solutions accompanied by code  
hold more weight than ideas spit out in 15 minute emails.


> * Avoid bikesheding


Amen.

-e