Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]


Groups > comp.sys.acorn.programmer > #1319

Re: Sound hardware access for RO

From "Ste (news)" <steve@revi11.plus.com>
Subject Re: Sound hardware access for RO
Newsgroups comp.sys.acorn.programmer
Date 2012-01-15 17:14 +0000
Message-ID <5252092153steve@revi11.plus.com> (permalink)
References <524fdeb0d8jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> <kt0rg7h051kdvd8v8mi4jsj9jmu01pgjmc@4ax.com>
Organization None

Show all headers | View raw


In article <kt0rg7h051kdvd8v8mi4jsj9jmu01pgjmc@4ax.com>,
   John Kortink <kortink@inter.nl.net> wrote:
> The couple of times that I glanced at what is being offered
> for what (a.k.a. RISC OS Open 'bounties'), it looked like a
> joke to me.

OK. So let's take this point by point...

> Professionals could not work for more than one or two days
> for that sort of money.

Indeed. We at ROOL expect the same when we work professionally. That hasn't
stopped us putting at least a man year _each_ into ROOL for absolutely
nothing. Doing a tiny extra job on the side and actually getting a few
hundred quid for it looks bloody attractive compared to that!

> Let alone weeks or months, which is more realistic in many cases. So
> forget about the money being a real incentive. To pick something up, you
> almost have to want it yourself.

That's true. Or, if you're a wealthy benefactor who can't program, you need
to put your money where your mouth is and donate more to those bounties.

The list of bounties on the ROOL site, and the current size of each pot, is
an illustration of just how much that is happening and just how much spare
cash the existing community has to hand.

In summary, it underlines, in bold, full upper-case the point I and many
others have been saying for years: RISC OS is dead as a commercial market
for software developers. And without compelling software being developed,
the few existing users will drift away - we certainly won't attract many new
ones!

So something needs to happen to get more money into the RISC OS ecosystem
and channel most of that to the developers. Our bounty scheme isn't that
something; it's simply a barometer.

> Also, the requirements are (let's put it nicely) 'lacking in detail'. They
> leave the door wide open for discussions about what 'finished' means.

It's a good job you put it nicely, because otherwise I'd've told you to
RTFM. ;) There are a few points to keep in mind here:

1. the description needs to be clear to the USERS so they can decide whether
   they want to donate and how much it deserves

2. we don't want to spend the rest of our (unpaid) lives at ROOL writing 
   detailed requirements specifications, functional specifications, 
   architecture diagrams, proposed database schemas, washing your underware, 
   etc.

3. part of the work of doing half of these tasks is thinking about what's
   involved. It'd take days/weeks for any of us at ROOL to get our heads
   around some of them. So...

If you, as a developer, think something sounds like it might be the sort of
thing you'd be interested in and the bounty pot looks like it's enough to
get you off your arse then you get in touch.

Then and only then will we look into the fine detail of what that task needs
to include and agree the acceptance criteria between you and ROOL. This may
take both parties a reasonably amount of time/effort. So be it. If we can't
reach an agreement, then we go our separate ways. If we can agree, then
we'll also agree a deadline and mark that bounty as "claimed".

You work towards the acceptance criteria within the agreed timescales and
ROOL will make periodic assessments of your progress. If you're getting
close to the deadline and haven't finished, we can always extend it if we
think you're making the right kind of progress.

At any time, you can throw in the towel and say "sod it". We'll simply
re-open the bounty to other developers.

> Just my two cents.

If this was Apple, and we have a few billion quid in the bank, a market of
hundreds of thousands of users, a pool of tens of thousands of developers,
then yes, I'd probably agree with you. But I don't; we have to be a little
more pragmatic than that.

Thanks,

Steve

-- 
Steve Revill @ Home
Note: All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Back to comp.sys.acorn.programmer | Previous | NextPrevious in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread


Thread

Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-11 12:18 +0000
  Re: Sound hardware access for RO Alan Wrigley <spamhater@keepyourfilthyspamtoyourself.co.uk> - 2012-01-11 12:30 +0000
    Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-11 13:43 +0000
      Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jeremy Nicoll - news posts <jn.nntp.scrap007@wingsandbeaks.org.uk> - 2012-01-11 22:35 +0000
        Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-12 10:08 +0000
          Re: Sound hardware access for RO Alan Wrigley <spamhater@keepyourfilthyspamtoyourself.co.uk> - 2012-01-12 17:57 +0000
            Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-13 12:05 +0000
      Re: Sound hardware access for RO Roger Darlington <rogerarm@freeuk.com> - 2012-04-03 09:03 +0100
        Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-04-03 09:53 +0100
  Re: Sound hardware access for RO John Kortink <kortink@inter.nl.net> - 2012-01-11 14:10 +0100
    Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-11 15:13 +0000
      Re: Sound hardware access for RO Theo Markettos <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2012-01-11 17:04 +0000
      Re: Sound hardware access for RO John Kortink <kortink@inter.nl.net> - 2012-01-11 19:58 +0100
    Re: Sound hardware access for RO "Ste (news)" <steve@revi11.plus.com> - 2012-01-15 17:14 +0000
      Re: Sound hardware access for RO Rick Murray <heyrickmail-usenet@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-17 07:11 +0100
  Re: Sound hardware access for RO druck <news@druck.org.uk> - 2012-01-11 20:52 +0000
    Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-12 09:21 +0000
      Re: Sound hardware access for RO druck <news@druck.org.uk> - 2012-01-14 20:34 +0000
        Re: Sound hardware access for RO Rick Murray <heyrickmail-usenet@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-15 05:19 +0100
          Re: Sound hardware access for RO druck <news@druck.org.uk> - 2012-01-15 12:30 +0000
            Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-15 13:38 +0000
              Re: Sound hardware access for RO druck <news@druck.org.uk> - 2012-01-17 23:38 +0000
                Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-18 09:37 +0000
                Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jeremy Nicoll - news posts <jn.nntp.scrap007@wingsandbeaks.org.uk> - 2012-01-27 02:05 +0000
                Re: Sound hardware access for RO Rick Murray <heyrickmail-usenet@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-27 05:19 +0100
            Re: Sound hardware access for RO Rick Murray <heyrickmail-usenet@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-15 15:57 +0100
              Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-15 17:30 +0000
                Re: Sound hardware access for RO Rick Murray <heyrickmail-usenet@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-17 07:22 +0100
                Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-17 09:28 +0000
                Re: Sound hardware access for RO Theo Markettos <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2012-01-17 11:31 +0000
                Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-17 12:34 +0000
            Re: Sound hardware access for RO Dave Higton <davehigton@dsl.pipex.com> - 2012-01-16 21:19 +0000
          Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-15 10:18 +0000
            Re: Sound hardware access for RO Rick Murray <heyrickmail-usenet@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-15 16:18 +0100
              Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-15 17:39 +0000
        Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-15 10:01 +0000
  Re: Sound hardware access for RO Dave Higton <davehigton@dsl.pipex.com> - 2012-01-16 21:28 +0000
    Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-17 09:35 +0000
    Re: Sound hardware access for RO Theo Markettos <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2012-01-17 11:37 +0000
      Re: Sound hardware access for RO davehigton <davehigton14@googlemail.com> - 2012-01-17 05:07 -0800
        Re: Sound hardware access for RO Theo Markettos <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2012-01-17 16:46 +0000
          Re: Sound hardware access for RO Ron <beeb@woosh.co.nz> - 2012-01-18 11:22 +1300
            Re: Sound hardware access for RO Theo Markettos <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2012-01-17 23:42 +0000
              Re: Sound hardware access for RO Ron <beeb@woosh.co.nz> - 2012-01-18 13:47 +1300
      Re: Sound hardware access for RO Jim Lesurf <jcgl@audiomisc.co.uk> - 2012-01-17 12:36 +0000

csiph-web