Re: flexfax: Whose looking after Hylafax?

[Phil Watkinson <pkw@elgro.co.uk>]

At 12:27 19/03/99 +1100, you wrote:
>Would the Hylafax maintainer please stand up!
>
>Having seen the same question (egcs problem), posted onto the mailing
>list over and over again, when is this going into the release? What
>about all the other patches too (e.g. the tag-line patch)?
>

I know that Matthias cannot reply at the moment since he is away on
a business trip for six weeks and won't be back 'til April.

I an sure he is as frustrated as you are, as are the majority of
people in the hylafax community, about the lack of progress in
releasing v4.0pl3.

>
>We have been on the same official revision (4.0pl2) for at least the
>last 9 months. The www.hylafax.org site has been setup (which is great
>- but where are your names? - I know Robert Colquhoun is one of them),
>but it still just gives a list of patches to apply. Still no new
>release.
>

The team behind hylafax.org is separate from the maintainer and the
development of the source code. Anyway, are names important? You can
always contact us either through this list or via webmaster@hylafax.org.


>[snip]
>Look guys is this stuff Open Source/Free Software or what? What
>happened to the release early and release often model (aka Bazaar
>model)?
>

HylaFAX, nee FlexFax, predates the opensource culture by many years.
It is mature software that is developed using the 'cathedral'
approach (to use Raymond's phrase ) and, to be honest, the pitfalls
highlighted by Eric in using this traditional method are very apparent
in hylafax today.


>My understanding is that Sam Leffler, who originally wrote most of the
>code, no longer had the time or the inclination to continue. It seems
>he nominated Mathias, be he doesn't have the time to do it either - or
>at that is how it appears. This is fine, however he must designate a
>new maintainer. 
>

IFAIK, Sam was effectively sponsored by SGI to work full time on projects
like HylaFAX. No-one already with a job, even with the skill and 
experience of Matthias, could match the speed of development in HylaFAX
that Sam achieved. Today, it is unrealistic and *unfair* to think that 
just one person can do the job by him/herself.


>I see a lot of good, talented & motivated people running around this
>list. I think it is time we moved forward....

I agree. They are people willing to make a consistent contribution to
HylaFAX, David Woolley, as you point out, a prime example. I wish
sometimes that there were more coders available to help.

>........ If not, I think it is time
>we did the unthinkable and forked the code.
>

Let's leave it at that - unthinkable.


>So guys I think it is time for Hylafax 4.1! Take all those patches -
>shove them in there and just shove it up on the Hylafax web site. If
>not, I'm going to put it up on mine. It will create lots of confusion
>and hassle, but if its the only way to start this project moving
>again, it'll be worth it.
>

We desperately need a new patch level, and the quickest way that is
going to happen is to build on the work that has been happening
behind the scenes over the last few months.

We also need to make the development process more open and more
accessable for people to contribute and to feel involved. The testing
of a beta release would normally take place on the hylafax-testers
list, away from any publicity on the general list - I think this
should change, and that beta024 should be announced as soon it is
ready.

This would a first step in changing the culture of hylafax development
- to move to a modern, opensource 'bazaar' type of team working - but
with all social changes, it will require patience and effort from all
of us.

Regards,
Phil.