[Python-Dev] Python Core Mentorship program

[Jesse Noller]

On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 5:16 PM, Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org> wrote:
> On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 1:57 PM, Ben Finney <ben+python at benfinney.id.au> wrote:
>> If you don't want a specific party snooping the site, just block that
>> specific party. Why make a walled garden that *nobody* outside can look
>> into? That undermines the free exchange of information.
>>
>> Surely a forum specifically for mentorship will be more useful if
>> outsiders can be directed to existing discussions, without needing to
>> join the private club.
>
> This argument comes up repeatedly. Some people object on principle to
> all closed lists. Other people will not participate in a discussion
> (or will not speak their minds about certain topics) unless they have
> some sense that the list is "closed". The former group will then argue
> that the closedness of the list is an illusion, that there are many
> ways to snoop on the list regardless. (And there are, technically
> speaking.) The latter group will still feel a different comfort level
> and argue that *socially* it is not the same thing at all.
>
> I propose to give it a rest. If you want to know what's going on
> there, just subscribe, nobody will stop you (and if they did there are
> plenty of public forums to complain). You will find soon enough that
> nothing unsavory is being discussed. There's an understanding that
> only people, not bots/indexers/etc., subscribe to the list, and that
> the members are not to forward/publish what they read outside the list
> without permission. That's enough to give group #2 the feeling of
> comfort (depending, always, on how the attitude of the members turns
> out to be of course) but it doesn't mean it's closed. There are other
> ways to publish information that might be useful for others, e.g.
> blogs, wikis, etc.
>
> --

+1 to what Guido and Jacob said. I know long time members of this list
uncomfortable with the prospect of bringing up anything on this
mailing list for various reasons. Given that, and my desire that we
provide a safe, friendly forum, biased towards the target audience
(newbies) versus those of us who are comfortable with public debate
and calcified attitudes, I'm pretty firm the archives stay "closed" to
only members.

Anyone, can of course, subscribe.

Jesse