[Community-news] [sugar] where is Walter?

[Carl-Daniel Hailfinger]

On 22.04.2008 02:13, Michael Stone wrote:
> What in this description of events leads you to the conclusion that OLPC
> is "shriveling up and dying"?
>   

Perhaps not shriveling up, but quite a few contributors/participants
from the early days (pre-A-Test till B2-Test) have left and the
perceived goals and principles of the project have changed considerably
as well.

The general climate is much less friendly to criticism, and I see the
recent USENIX paper debate as a prime example. That paper has been
criticised and ridiculed on various grounds instead of addressing the
issues it brought up. We claim to have stellar security based on the
official Bitfrost spec, yet lots of that spec are unimplemented.

Back in the old days, even strong criticism was seen as a way to improve
code and design. We had heated debates and decisions about
adding/removing features were done transparently with input from the
community.

I really miss that time.

But I see a chance to bring that culture back once the immense pressure
on the "core team" (for lack of a better name) diminishes and update.2
is released. Let's hope for the best.


Regards,
Carl-Daniel