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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Hi Stephen,<br>
<br>
I've given some thought to points 2 and 3 in your e-mail and would
like to offer some of my feedback to help kick off this
discussion.
On 7/18/2013 1:47 PM, Elfstrand, Stephen F wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
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<div class="WordSection1"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">2)<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"> I
move that the EOB appoint release managers after receiving a
recommendation from the developer community<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2
lfo1">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">a.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">This
will allow the oversight board some input into the
prioritization of activities surrounding a release
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.5in;text-indent:-1.5in;mso-text-indent-alt:-9.0pt;mso-list:l0
level3 lfo1">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span>i.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New
Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">eg
is the documentation for both and installers / upgraders and
end users acceptable, Do the upgrade scripts work correctly?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.5in;text-indent:-1.5in;mso-text-indent-alt:-9.0pt;mso-list:l0
level3 lfo1">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span>ii.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New
Roman""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Are
the priorities set by the EOB being implemented in the
release (ie. are quality & performance issues being
addressed)</span></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
I'm not in favor of an EOB appointment for the release manager for
the following reasons. <br>
<br>
* During the most recent RM-selection process, only one person
submitted his name as a candidate for the position. I don't see how
changing the appointing authority would make any perceived
improvements to the release process when there isn't a large
contingent of developers chomping at the bit to take on the job. <br>
<br>
* The most recent selection process was wide open, allowing input
from anyone who was willing to post to the Evergreen developer's
list or to attend the May 1 IRC meeting. My hope is that Oversight
Board members who feel strongly about release priorities would
participate in those meetings. Those meetings are open to the entire
community. In looking at the log from that meeting (<a
href="http://evergreen-ils.org/meetings/evergreen/2013/evergreen.2013-05-01-13.00.log.html">http://evergreen-ils.org/meetings/evergreen/2013/evergreen.2013-05-01-13.00.log.html</a>),
although most of the people who voted for the RM were the core
committers, I see that others in the community also voted, including
me. As far as I know, there is nothing that would stop an Oversight
Board member from also voting or providing input if the same process
is followed for the next release.<br>
<br>
* Galen has started inviting the Release Manager to EOB meetings,
and I think it would be a good idea for future EOB chairs to
continue this practice. If an EOB member has a concern about the
release process, I think this is an excellent opportunity to raise
those concerns. <br>
<br>
* I'm not sure the RM sure be responsible for making sure that
end-user documentation is complete in time for the release. Perhaps
that should fall into my realm as the DIG release coordinator. <br>
<br>
However, I would like to point out that, although the documentation
is still catching up with the features, I think there has been a lot
of improvement in release-time documentation, especially since
Equinox started requiring customers to include documentation in
their development contracts. We have a list of 2.4 features needing
documentation at <a
href="http://evergreen-ils.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=evergreen-docs:2.4_needs">http://evergreen-ils.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=evergreen-docs:2.4_needs</a>
that I just updated by adding a "Complete" label for everything that
has been contributed to the official doc repository. Sure, we don't
have everything documented yet, but it's come a long way from the
days of 2.0 where there was little documentation for new features.
We could probably finish it off in a few weeks with the support of a
couple of additional contributors who are willing to take on some of
the unassigned items. Or, we could make a lot of progress in
clearing out the backlog if more institutions did what Berklee
College of Music did by asking college interns to upgrade older docs
to the new Asciidoc format.<br>
<br>
Moving on to your second priority, I think you can get more
information about quality & performance issues by reading the
two most recent blog posts at <a href="http://blog.esilibrary.com/">http://blog.esilibrary.com/</a>
or my recent e-mail to the general list about the MassLNC-sponsored
performance evaluation <a
href="http://markmail.org/message/6yzorevfs6xtnn2u">http://markmail.org/message/6yzorevfs6xtnn2u</a>.
In other words, many of these concerns are already being addressed,
not because the RM made it a priority, but because the community
made it a priority by contributing staff time, money, and other
resources to make it happen. I'm not saying that the EOB shouldn't
be involved in pushing these very important priorities, but I don't
think appointing the release manager is the way to make it happen.<br>
<br>
* I don't necessarily feel qualified to decide who the best release
manager is. I have a lot of thoughts on the communication I would
like to see from a release manager, but there are many things a
release manager does that I just don't understand. Even with the
recommendation from the developers, I would be concerned that this
change could potentially lead to a situation where the EOB appoints
somebody who does not work well with the developer community, which
would lead to a dysfunctional release cycle.<br>
<br>
In short, I would say there are plenty of opportunities for EOB
members and other community members to communicate their concerns to
the Release Manager without taking a step that will probably cause
discord in the community while yielding very little benefit.<br>
<br>
<br>
<blockquote
cite="mid:A6F80436F9D3C049880E258CDD233069BAA944C1@DB5.Campus.mnsu.edu"
type="cite">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.5in;text-indent:-1.5in;mso-text-indent-alt:-9.0pt;mso-list:l0
level3 lfo1"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">3)<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">I
move that a membership fee structure be introduced proceed
of which would be under the control of the EOB<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2
lfo1">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">a.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">This
will allow the EOB to sponsor strategic development even if
it doesn’t meet immediate needs of current users to meet the
challenge posed by “Next Gen” Library systems<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2
lfo1">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">b.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Better,
faster, mobile-friendly OPAC
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2
lfo1">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">c.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Resouce
sharing and NCIP development<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2
lfo1">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">d.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Improvements
to Administration like allowing the customization of facets
from the staff client<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2
lfo1">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">e.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">A
better reports interface<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2
lfo1">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><span
style="mso-list:Ignore">f.<span style="font:7.0pt
"Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Improvements
to the Evergreen web site (what ever happened to the
Drupal-based prototype?</span></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
I agree that the EOB should try to identify and support strategic
development (not sure I agree that all of the listed projects fall
into that category), and we need a good way to identify which
projects should be our focus. I agree that development sponsors by
local groups can often overlook long-term, strategic goals for the
system (I know MassLNC can partially fall into the blame camp for
that), but I think it's incorrect to assume that we never meet
strategic goals with some of these projects. The recent acquisitions
work funded by SC LENDs, SITKA, Bibliomation and MassLNC is an
example of Evergreen sites coming together to work in an area that
was a high priority for the community. My hope was that we could
have gone further with that project to make the necessary speed
improvements for screen loading time, but, unfortunately, we weren't
able to get additional partners for that work when we sent out plea
for help in January. However, acquisitions is certainly in a better
state than where it was during the 2012 Evergreen conference. MVLC
is working on NCIP development, so I do see that people are making
strategic development happen without waiting for a membership fee to
be assessed.<br>
<br>
I have to admit that, at first glance, I don't like the idea of a
membership fee structure. However, since we are already having
conversations about fundraising and grant writing, I think it's
appropriate to have this discussion in the larger community
channels. If such a discussion were to happen, I hope the following
questions are addressed:<br>
<br>
1. Who is assessed with a membership fee? Is it assessed for every
site that runs Evergreen or is it a fee that must be paid to be a
voting member of the community? MassLNC does not run Evergreen, but
works with three consortia that do run Evergreen, and I would want
to make sure that those three consortia are not "double charged" by
paying their own membership fees along with a fee for MassLNC.<br>
<br>
2. Is there any kind of credit given to organizations that are
already contributing heavily to the future of Evergreen? For
example, organizations that have already allocated thousands of
dollars per year to develop Evergreen. What about those
organizations, like MVLC, that have donated hours of staff time to
contributing code to the software, including that NCIP code that was
cited as a strategic development need? Do they get credit for all of
their code contributions or just the ones that meet the definition
of strategic? If this membership fee helps to support documentation,
can we receive credit for the hours we put into creating docs? <br>
<br>
I don't really want to speak on behalf on my consortia because I
haven't discussed this issue with them yet. However, if there is a
membership fee established, I can imagine some of their board
members balking at the idea of paying an additional fee when they
feel like they already have made substantial contributions to the
project.<br>
<br>
3. The above were more practical questions, but here's a
philosophical question. If we are assessing this membership fee on
all sites running Evergreen or for those that are voting members of
the community, what does open source mean in the Evergreen context?
Yes, I know the code is still open, but I would be concerned about
setting a precedent that you have to pay to run Evergreen or to be a
voting community member. How does the membership fee differ from the
proprietary licensing fees that were theoretically used for
improvements decided by the majority will of a user group? This
model was one that the MassLNC consortia wanted to move away from,
and I would want to make sure we aren't recreating a similar
structure in the Evergreen community.<br>
<br>
Just my two cents. I would be interested to hear what others think.<br>
<br>
Kathy<br>
<br>
<blockquote
cite="mid:A6F80436F9D3C049880E258CDD233069BAA944C1@DB5.Campus.mnsu.edu"
type="cite">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoListParagraph"
style="margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level2
lfo1"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Stephen
Elfstrand<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:eg-oversight-board-bounces@list.evergreen-ils.org">eg-oversight-board-bounces@list.evergreen-ils.org</a>
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:eg-oversight-board-bounces@list.evergreen-ils.org">mailto:eg-oversight-board-bounces@list.evergreen-ils.org</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Galen Charlton<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, July 17, 2013 5:31 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:eg-oversight-board@list.evergreen-ils.org">eg-oversight-board@list.evergreen-ils.org</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Eg-oversight-board] EOB meeting, Thursday,
18 July 2013, 2-3 p.m. EDT<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Hi,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The
next Evergreen <span style="background:#FFFFCC">Oversight</span> <span
style="background:#FFFFCC">Board</span> meeting is
scheduled for tomorrow<br>
from 2 to 3 p.m. EDT and will take place on the
#evergreen IRC channel.<br>
<br>
The agenda is:<br>
<br>
1. Financial Report (Galen)<br>
2. Evergreen 2014 Conference Committee Report (Kathy)<br>
3. Follow-up on support company listing<br>
4. Grants and fundraising (Rogan)<br>
<br>
</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">If
there are any other items you wish to add to the agenda,
please let me know.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><br>
</span><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Regards,<br>
</span><br>
Galen<br>
-- <o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Galen Charlton<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Manager of Implementation<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Equinox Software, Inc. / The Open
Source Experts<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">email: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:gmc@esilibrary.com" target="_blank">gmc@esilibrary.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">direct: +1 770-709-5581<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">cell: +1 404-984-4366<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">skype: gmcharlt<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">web: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.esilibrary.com/" target="_blank">http://www.esilibrary.com/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Supporting Koha and Evergreen: <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://koha-community.org" target="_blank">
http://koha-community.org</a> & <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://evergreen-ils.org" target="_blank">
http://evergreen-ils.org</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
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