Guido at Google

[Gary Herron]

Ilias Lazaridis wrote:

>Greg Stein wrote:
>  
>
>>Yeah... we recognize that we could certainly open-source more of our
>>software. While we've released some stuff
>>(code.google.com/projects.html), there is a LOT more that we want to
>>    
>>
>
>http://code.google.com/projects.html
>
>  
>
>>do. Getting engineers' 20% time to do that has been difficult.
>>Thankfully, we know how to fix that and got the okay/headcount to make
>>it happen. (IOW, it isn't a lack of desire, but making it happen)
>>    
>>
>
>When a company like Google open's sources, this means simply nothing 
>more than:
>
>  - the software is not critical to their business (e.g. core-software)
>  - the internal resources cannot ensure further development
>
>See IBM, SUN and others, which have done the same thing.
>
>  
>
>>But even if we haven't been able to open-source as much code as we'd
>>like, we *have* been trying to be very supportive of the community.
>>Between the Summer of Code and direct cash contributions, we've
>>provided a LOT of support to a large number of open source
>>organizations.
>>    
>>
>
>I hope that you invest some time to _organize_ the Open Source Projects.
>
>Starting with Python and it's project-structure (e.g. build-process) and 
>documentation (e.g. ensuring standard-terminology is kept, like "class")
>
>e.g.: where can I find an UML diagramm of the Python Object Model?
>
>Even Ruby has one:
>
>http://lazaridis.com/case/lang/ruby/TheRubyObjectModel.png
>
>-
>
>  
>
>>And we have a couple other ideas on how to help the open source
>>community. We're working on it!
>>    
>>
>
>The open-source-community can help Google, too!
>
>E.g.:  Google needs an public Issue-Tracking-System.
>
>I needed around 30 emails and 2 months until google-groups-support 
>removed a bug which broke(!) existent links to google archives. (cannot 
>find the topic. Simply search your support-archives to see the desaster).
>
>With publicity, the team would have removed the bug within one week.
>
>  
>
>>Cheers,
>>-g
>>    
>>
>
>And finally:
>
>If Mr. van Rossum is now at Google, and Python is essentially a Mr. van 
>Rossum based product, then most possibly the evolution-speed of Python 
>will decrease even more (Google will implement things needed by Google - 
>van Rossum will follow, so simple).
>
>I mean, when will this language finally become a _really_ fully 
>Object-Oriented one, with a clean reflective Meta-Model?
>
>Thus I can see Python pass this this _simple_ evaluation (which it does 
>not pass in its current implementation):
>
>http://lazaridis.com/case/lang/python.html
>
>-
>
>I have around one year to await.
>  
>
You don't appear to understand Open Source very well.

Python is the way it is because we, the community, *like* it that way. 
It evolves in directions that we (all) decide it is to evolve. Guido is 
our leader in this because we trust him and *choose* to follow his lead. 
If you want something changed you don't wait and you don't whine, you 
join the community with a reasoned argument for why your idea would make 
it a better language in *our* eyes.

So how about it... What's your complaint, what's your solution, and why 
should we listen?

Gary Herron