[Python-ideas] Clearer communication

[Terry Reedy]

On 2/3/2019 12:44 PM, James Lu wrote:

> On Feb 2, 2019, at 7:17 PM, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:

>> It has become unfashionable to link to this, because it is allegedly too
>> elitest and unfriendly and not welcoming enough, but I still think it is
>> extremely valuable:
>>
>> http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>>
>> (Its also somewhat unpopular because the maintainer has become
>> something of a politically Right-wing extremist.)
>>
>> If you think of *proposals* as a kind of question:
>>
>>    "What are the Pros and Cons of this suggestion?"
>>
>> rather than
>>
>>    "We must do this. I have spoken, make it so!"
>>
>> then the Smart Questions document is relevant. Do your research first.
>> What have you tried? Have you tried to knock holes in your own proposal
>> or are you so excited by the Pros that you are blind to the Cons? What
>> do other languages do? Do they differ from Python in ways which matter
>> to your proposal?
>>
>> Did you make even a feeble attempt to search the archives,
>> Stackoverflow, etc, or just post the first ill-formed thought that came
>> to your mind?
>>
>> If your proposal been asked before, unless you are bringing something
>> new to the discussion, don't waste everyone's time covering old ground.

> That’s some great stuff, can we document it somewhere? I think it would benefit future proposers.

*This list* is documented at 
https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-ideas.  I think a short 
paragraph starting "Before you post a proposal, ...", based on what 
Steven posted above, would be a good idea, and as useful as 'respect the 
COC'.  Please give it a go and post a proposed addition here.  Once 
polished, a proposal for that page would go to the list owners if they 
don't notice it.  python-ideas-owner at python.org

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy