[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Proposal to change Evergreen versioning scheme

[Rogan Hamby]

It's not about the upgrade itself, it's about perception and engagement
from my local community who don't know anything about versioning other than
what they are conditioned to.  It's hard to explain but these are folks who
if you said "we're doing versioning like Ubuntu" they would look at you
with absolute confusion.  What is oobuntoo?  They don't think about major
and minor features, half the time they never use the software themselves -
they are directors and they make the decisions for those who do use the
software.  They think in terms of impact on services and they use the
version numbers as shortcuts for the information they use - what you're
talking about is data they don't plot - their subordinates do but they make
the initial decision.  And these are all community members.

It's about emailing that the next upgrade is coming out and because it's a
whole new version they think they have to plan it at least six months in
advance because they have to get board approval to shut down down for whole
day training classes when it may be nothing but bug fixes possibly (lots of
plans thrown about so I hate to generalize).  There are a world of
logistical issues that respond to the technology and are part of upgrades -
like getting board approvals.

This isn't about telling those folks (directors, library boards) how things
have changed.  That's data.  They may or may not take the time and they
need conditioning as they aren't going to be deeply involved inbetween the
hundred non-technical things they do.  So, this conditioning is unlearning
what they've learned over the last four years to make good decisions as
directors of Evergreen libraries and what I've told them.  This is major
work and worth it if there is clear benefit but only if.




On Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 3:39 PM, Lazar, Alexey Vladimirovich <
alexey.lazar at mnsu.edu> wrote:

>
> On 2013-01-04, at 14:23 , Rogan Hamby <rogan.hamby at yclibrary.net>
>  wrote:
>
> > As a postscript,
> >
> > P.S.
> >
> > My previous statements are not an argument against change.  As I said
> before, I have nothing against eating my liver hash (apologies to those who
> like liver) for greater health but I want the benefit to be clear and
> substantial for the hassle I can guarantee you I (and others) will have.
>
> Hi, Rogan. Why would there be any more hassle than during a regular
> upgrade to a new version?
>
> Aleksey Lazar
> PALS
> IS Developer and Intergrator
> 507-389-2907
> http://www.pals.org/
> alexey.lazar at mnsu.edu
>
>
>
>


-- 
----------------------------
Rogan Hamby
Headquarters Manager, York County Library System

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit
me."
-- C.S. Lewis <http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1069006.C_S_Lewis>
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