[gdal-dev] Fwd: Would it be a good idea have a users list?

Fri Nov 8 08:01:30 PST 2024

The questions about the gdal-dev list is purposefully on the GDAL Users Survey [1] (please fill one out) so we can learn more about preferences and habits of the community on this topic.

The challenge of where the community convenes is a difficult one because it requires balancing a number of things. The type preference of users (forums, mailing lists, async chat, stackoverflow etc), the habits of lurkers, and most importantly, where people actually provide information, all factor into which venue should be the "primary" one. It is not surprising that GDAL's primary venue is a mailing list due to it being a 26 year old software library which evolved its community during the time of mailing lists. That time is maybe past, but habits are hard to break. 

IMO we definitely shouldn't split the list apart into -users vs -dev, however. There isn't a big enough contributor community to warrant it.

Howard

[1] https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMXygtDb5M0Ov0KK0u2wKkev1rMqAjRdTlwMeCl7Z1TGJTLw/viewform

> Begin forwarded message:
> 
> From: Micha Silver via gdal-dev <gdal-dev at lists.osgeo.org>
> Subject: Re: [gdal-dev] Would it be a good idea have a users list?
> Date: November 7, 2024 at 8:39:58 AM CST
> To: Paul Harwood <runette at gmail.com>, "gdal-dev at lists.osgeo.org" <gdal-dev at lists.osgeo.org>
> Reply-To: Micha Silver <tsvibar at gmail.com>
> 
> I would switch to a user's list in "two shakes of a lamb's tail" (I'm not British). The topics discussed in gdal-dev are mostly above my head. And the questions I have don't really fit here. A user's list would probably be a benefit for me.
> As you're aware, many open source projects maintain both. There would be some confusion at first, probably, but based on those other projects, people would settle in to the right place quickly. The key question is who would maintain it, and who would answer user's questions? (Even has his plate quite full as it is).
> 
> 
> On 07/11/2024 12:14, Paul Harwood via gdal-dev wrote:
>> My tuppence worth (yes - a Britishism) just as a user and not a stakeholder ...
>> 
>> I would say that the real-life experience is likely to be that no one knows or agrees what message should be on what list, people will post "on the wrong list" and be asked to repost, everyone will end up on both lists anyway and you end up creating an unnecessary (and strangely heated) discussion about who counts as a developer, especially in a relatively technical subject area like GDAL.
>> 
>> Personally, I would vote no. It should not be like this but I bet it would be.
>> 
>> Paul
>> 
>> On Thu, 7 Nov 2024 at 07:53, Abel Pau via gdal-dev <gdal-dev at lists.osgeo.org <mailto:gdal-dev at lists.osgeo.org>> wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>> I heard and I see that that list it’s mostly for dev gdal users.
>>> Would it be a good idea have a users (not developers) list?
>>>  
>>> It’s only a thought, an idea.
>>>  
>>> Abel Pau Garcia <>	
>>>  <https://www.creaf.cat/>
>>> GIS developer <>
>>> a.pau at creaf.uab.cat <mailto:a.pau at creaf.uab.cat>	

>>> Let's chat on Teams! <https://teams.microsoft.com/l/chat/0/0?users=a.pau@creaf.uab.cat>
>>> Tel. +34 934814277
>>> 
>>>  <https://twitter.com/CREAF_ecologia> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/creaf/> <https://www.youtube.com/c/creafecologia> <https://www.instagram.com/CREAF_ecologia/>
>>> www.creaf.cat  <http://www.creaf.cat/>| http://blog.creaf.cat <http://blog.creaf.cat/>
>>> CREAF. Campus UAB. Edifici C. 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona)  <https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/123379060>
>>> 
>>> Política de privacitat <https://www.creaf.cat/ca/politica-de-privacitat>	

>>> Abans d'imprimir aquest missatge electrònic penseu en el medi ambient. <>
>>>  
>>>  
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> gdal-dev mailing list
>>> gdal-dev at lists.osgeo.org <mailto:gdal-dev at lists.osgeo.org>
>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/gdal-dev
>> 
>> 
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> -- 
> Micha Silver
> Ben Gurion Univ.
> Sde Boker, Remote Sensing Lab
> cell: +972-523-665918
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