From: Daniel Carrera <dcarrera@...>
Date: 2003-01-28T04:12:35+09:00
Subject: Re: Organizing our efforts, as well as the modules itself.

Hi Dwayne,

I'll try to address your comments.

>  I hope my questions, comments, etc.. are valuable--that is my goal.  I
>  am a marketing person by profession, but I love to develop in perl and
>  Java.

I'm sure that Ruby can benefit much from your experience.


>  1) Who is /responsible/ for the actual DESIGN of the reorganization?
>  (not necessarily the web development)
>      a) Has anyone asked/been assigned this responsibility?
>      b) Who is the final decision maker(s) (after evaluating the
>  excellent suggestions from the list)
>      c) Who will do the development?

Nakamura Hiroshi (NaHi) seems to be encharged of RAA.  I could be wrong.
I'm sure that there are other people involved.  I figure that he must be 
the final decision maker.

The RAA team would do the development.  I am willing to help, and others 
probably are too.

>  2) If noone already has, it seems it would be productive if someone
>  (or perhaps 2 people) volunteer to fill the lead role in finding
>  available domains for ruby.

Do you mean actually *purchasing* new domain names and then voting on 
which one we like?
Shouldn't we make a list of the available ones, then vote, then purchase?

>  3) Has the target audience for the RAA web site (is this the right way
>  to refer to it?) been *clearly* defined?  It seems that until that is
>  done, it will be difficult, if not impossible to come to a consensus
>  on the best design.

You can call it RAA.

The target audience is probably "anyone who develops in Ruby".
On a second level I'd put people looking for programs made with Ruby.

This is probably about as clear as we're going to get.

>  5) ...  But, I believe the GUI design and *A* web site design needs to 
>  have input from newbie developers, NON-developers, and people who are 
>  interested in marketing the use of the language and not just using it 
>  for development.

I agree with "newgie developers".  But how can a computer language be used 
by non developers?  As for "marketing", how would you use RAA for 
marketing Ruby?  I'd like to know.

>  Please note I said *A* web design above, because of course there 
>  should also be a web design primarily for developers.

Wouldn't it be confusing to have two different RAA's?
Do you think it's possible to provide all features in the same place?

For example:
   Suppose that most "developers" want a powerful search and
   "non developers" want to browse.  The main page could have browsing
   features, and at the top an simple search with a link to
   "advanced search".

I think that this is the best design decision.  Inevitably, some "non 
developers" will perfer to search and some "developers" will prefer to 
browse.

>  7) Can we create a few different discussion lists?  I suggest a
>  different list for:
>  * the development of the Ruby language itself

Already exists.  It's ruby-core@ruby-lang.org.

>  * the RAA archives, marketing the language,etc..
>  * Ruby language questions/answers
>  -- This is a start to be more user friendly in my opinion.

I'm not sure that the Ruby community is large enough to have an discussion 
list dedicated to RAA.  For questions/answers, there is ruby-talk.

>  Sorry for the long post.  Again I just want to be helpful in promoting
>  Ruby and locating documentation for it --which is a challenge for me
>  already. :)

I appreciate your help.  I really want to promote Ruby better.

-- 
Daniel Carrera
Graduate Teaching Assistant.  Math Dept.
University of Maryland.  (301) 405-5137