Topic: WANTED: Team leaders & members

[tenanji]

I am hoping that hwfang can shed some light on progress with this since the announcement with Lycoris.  

Are these teams still be created?  When will they be put  to task and what work is needed to achieve the next release of SME.

Waiting with excitment

[guest22]

Hi,

Sorry for my late reaction. Yes, your work/time/skill donation is still appreciated. Since the contribs.org home will change soon (see news) it's better to wait for this new home so we only have to get organised once.

Since we now have a fixed date for this 'move', the Lycoris team will follow up soon on this.

Thanks for your patience.

[tenanji]

Thanks for the update.  Hope everything goes well with the move.

I am looking forward to seeing the future of SME Server.

Jay

[RvLardin]

So, the future of our distro is in our hands again.

I'm steel beeing volunteer to be member of the security team, why not animating the list or something in accordance with my poor capacities in coding.

I've just send a mail to the contribs.org team (security ?) to ask for that.

I've notice the name of all the volunteers in this topic.

 

RV.

[jcoleman]

I'm steel beeing volunteer to be member of the security team, why not animating the list or something in accordance with my poor capacities in coding.

Copy of email reply -

Security is an invitation only list for obvious reasons.  We want to make sure that not only do the members on it have the proper credentials, but that they understand the responsibilities to keep security issues private until they have been resolved.

If you, or anyone else would like to be included on the Security list, please forward a resume of your experience and your availability of time to participate to staff AT contribs.org.  Members of security must have the flexibility to work on a new problem as quickly as it is identified due to the nature of the issues.  The ability to work well with others is also paramount for this group.

Please understand that a volunteer must have some proven capabilities in debugging security related issues in order to be considered for this group.  Not all applicants will be accepted.  No offense is intended to anyone who does not qualify.

Regards,

-jeff

[ruggiero]

Hi I would also like to contribute

1/ Team member team
2/ Shell, Perl and Linux sys admin experience
3/ 6-10 hours a week

Rick

[ergozd]

May be I already replied to this...

I would like to help out with
- upgrade scripts for PHP, MySQL
- compiling newer version of PHP RPMS
- installation instructions for CMS solutions like MetaDot, WebGUI
- simpler HowTos for mmcache, Zend Optimizer and eaccelerator etc...

I fave couple of hours per week.

Best rgds, Ergin

[guest22]

I am sorry everyone...

Although contribs.org recieved hunderds of dedicated monthly hours of different skill levels (for the second time upon a kind request), it seems that there is no way of organising this into a streamlined development 'machine'. Even after such a long time to do/try so. The crashes, 'takeovers' are not a valid excuse for this.

My wish was to form specific teams coordinated by teamleaders. Many of you kindly donated time and skills, but it appears so that it is impossible to organise it in contribs.org's plans.

The organisational structure, leadership, development is not clear, although this was suppossed to be a community effort. What a waste....

Please understand me correctly, I personally DO appreciate ALL community members that *actually* do get involved and do try to move on. But there is a HUGE lack of direction and leadership. And in the spirit of a 'community effort' there is virtually *zero* possibility to get really involved, how 'low' or 'high' your skills may be. In my eyes everyting would be appreciated!

If you want to know more about this, please contact Resource Strategies (The 'holder' and 'maintainer' of contribs.org), since they are the onces controlling the above.

guest
(getting really, really tired of trying)

[cjensen]

Hi HF,

You should be commended for your efforts in trying  But, it has actually been very easy to see this coming... and that from someone who has done not much on the site itself although still very active using/tweaking SME Server on my networks.

Here's hoping the spirit of what brought Linux to the world will breath some life back to where it is needed for this project to survive longterm.

Craig Jensen

[brookes]

.....The organisational structure, leadership, development is not clear,......

......But there is a HUGE lack of direction and leadership......

What about a Community Steering Committee? People elected or appointed that meet regularly and decide on the hard questions.

Stephan.

[boss_hog]

I am sorry everyone...

... The crashes, 'takeovers' are not a valid excuse for this.
.
.
.
If you want to know more about this, please contact Resource Strategies (The 'holder' and 'maintainer' of contribs.org), since they are the onces controlling the above.

guest

Hey HF,
you have been around a long time, and Charlie, Shad and a hanful others whose opinions are valuable, IMHO.
After reading the above quoted post, the flag on my "stink-detector" started to rise. it would be a shame to let such a grand -->opensource project(?)<-- like E-Smith/SME/Contribs to take a beating. If there is something that -->needs<-- to be done to protect the future of our server, please e-mail me. In private if need be.

OPINION-If this sounds a little negative, my apologies! I would hate to see Contribs fall prey to the Sveasoft "business" model.

[girkers]

I agree wholeheartedly with Boss Hog in that we can not let this "product" fall to the fate of death.

Obviously someone "owns" the SME project, I have not been around long enough to work this out yet, but whoever it is needs to have a direction on where it is going, otherwise how in the hell is anyone else suppose to know or help.

I believe, as I asked Lycros when they took the project on, what it the road map.  In essence, how do you know how to get there, if you don't know where you are going.

This is a very simple question and no doubt many people will have a different opinion on where this project should go.  But I would like to see the "owner" of SME to develop this and then we can all help achieve the goals that the "owner" sets.

I will happily help in anyway I can to get this "plan" going and I have many other ideas on how to set up the structure to manage the project across a broad range of areas.

I want to help, please let me.  

[jcoleman]

I agree wholeheartedly with Boss Hog in that we can not let this "product" fall to the fate of death.

I am very interested in this thread.  What are the symptoms of "falling to the fate of death"?

Is it:

* The new isos and beta versions we have had in last couple of months?

* The continuing upgrades and contribs that many people are releasing?

* The increase in forum activity over the last few months?

* The 1000+ wiki pages that were all built by volunteers?

* The dozens of resolved bug reports that have been solved in the last 60 days?

* The 20% increase in site traffic since the first of the year?

These don't look like a "dying" distro to me.

We run through this issue about once every 6 months where "someone" decides that the project is dying because somebody ELSE didn't do something they wanted.  

If you want to help look at the Volunteering page in the wiki.  If you don't have any of those specific skills then you can add great value by helping out others in the forums.  That is where the community is....it is in helping each other out and building community and solutions.

If you (or anyone else) have php or other skills, terrific, please help someone fix a problem that they are having.  If you can help with development join devinfo and just do it.  If you want to "test", there is a new iso out there that needs testing.

You want to provide "direction"?  Great, start a direction and if enough people are interested they will follow, if not, then that is the way it is.  Otherwise, the "direction" we are moving has just released a new iso and this site has been growing and improving since the day it was launched.  

It always pays to remember that this site is provided by volunteers as well, and if you are truly not happy you can always create another site of your own and run it in any manner that you would like.  This is not saying that if you don't like something it's just tough, but I am saying that you ALWAYS have alternatives.  If you are truly unhappy, provide an alternative.  If it is better, then the community will move to it.

In the meantime, have fun with the isos and all of the other services that are provided free of charge by all the volunteers that just roll up their sleeves and do a job without comment or complaint.

I want to help, please let me.

Jump in and help anywhere you would like to.  Your efforts will be appreciated.

-jeff

[girkers]

I was in no way trying to imply that this distro is "dying".  I concur that it is doing very well.

I was trying to convey that I disagree with what RequestedDeletion said in that trying to organise/co-ordinate volunteers is near impossible.  Sure it would be if the distro "owner" don't want help.

j I do try and assist where I can in the forums etc, but there is only so much I can do in that area.  Yes SME is doing great and I have no doubt that it will continue to grow and develop.

I don't think that I am explaining myself very well, english is my second language with Australian being my first.

I am not able to help in the areas that need assistance, so I feel helpless and this distro has provided me with a means to run stuff from my home.  I am so desperate to give back.  I suppose I will just have to sit back and wait for something that I can do.

[mrjhb3]

I think what most people are disappointed in is the lack of direction and communication.  We didn't see a call to the community on what should be included in the next version of SME.  The 6.5 beta, just came out.  Now with 6.5 RC1, the mrtg, qconfirm, etc. have been removed.  What, Why, and how was this decision made?  If one would poll the community, you would get a lot of responses on what people thought should be included in the next release.  Then this would need to be whittled down, agreed upon as a community, then progress made fullfilling that.  Those whose contribs/ideas didn't make the release, could possibly be included in an update, included in the next release, or further developed and remain separate.  I think what most people want is a say so on the direction of the distro.  Not, just the if you want to do it, do it.  Why can't we get organized?  There is obviously enough skill in the community to keep this distro alive, as well as a lot of learning opportunities.  (i.e - How to build an RPM, how to organize and release a Linux ISO, how the server-manager really works, PHP, perl, etc.)  People want to help and want to learn, but it just doesn't look like there is an opportunity for community involvement with the direction.  

Hope the above makes sense and doesn't come off like I am bashing anyone, because I am not.

Thanks for the time.

JB