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Date:      Tue, 22 Jun 1999 14:11:01 -0400 (EDT)
From:      Chuck Robey <chuckr@picnic.mat.net>
To:        Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au>
Cc:        hm@hcs.de, Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com>, dfr@nlsystems.com, peter@FreeBSD.org, cvs-committers@FreeBSD.org, cvs-all@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   Re: cvs commit: src/sys/isa sio.c 
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSF.4.10.9906221404080.393-100000@picnic.mat.net>
In-Reply-To: <199906220823.BAA01443@dingo.cdrom.com>

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On Tue, 22 Jun 1999, Mike Smith wrote:

> > 
> > Anyway, i don't think you are asking for too much - of what use is a shiny 
> > new design of a new subsystem in the very basic FreeBSD architecture if just
> > some handful few people knew how it works and how to use it ?
> 
> Gosh, that would make it just like every other shiny new subsystem.
> 
> Folks, just cut the carping and write your own documentation.  The 
> architects can't, and won't write it for you.  It has never happened 
> that way (anywhere, on any project), and it never will.  Documentation 
> is written after the fact, by someone else.

Well, I don't think it'll ever be too popular, but I know for a fact
(cause I saw it personally) that new projects (or at least the ones I
saw) at Tandem, before they were bought by Compaq, began with the docs
people writing how things were *supposed* to work.  As the programmers
modified things, the docs people were there step by step, making sure
the docs said the same thing.

I felt like I was in fantasyland.  The point Mike shuld have made was
that this is a volunteer project, and there is *never* any way to force
someone to do something.  The correct way to get something done, if you
want it done, is to do it yourself.  If you can't do it yourself, if and
when th eoppurtunity presents, offer to do all you can to be of help,
but never, ever think you can make up silly rules saying someone else
*must* do something.

Did you ever try to move something by *pushing* on a rope?  Pulling
works much better.  Complaining that someone else didn't do it, in a
volunteer project, is pushing on a rope.


----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------
Chuck Robey                 | Interests include any kind of voice or data 
chuckr@picnic.mat.net       | communications topic, C programming, and Unix.
213 Lakeside Drive Apt T-1  |
Greenbelt, MD 20770         | I run picnic and jaunt, both FreeBSD-current.
(301) 220-2114              | 
----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------






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