[tz] TZ Coordinator candidate

[Todd Glassey]

On 3/10/2012 2:07 AM, pcg at goof.com ( Marc) (A.) (Lehmann ) wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 10, 2012 at 08:38:53AM +0000, Zefram<zefram at fysh.org>  wrote:
>> With ado's retirement now almost upon us, I'd like to volunteer for the
>> role of TZ Coordinator.  Although I've only been directly involved, on
>> the mailing list, for half a year, I've been peripherally involved for
>> much longer.  I'm very comfortable working in this space, and I believe
>> I have the right personal qualities for the job.
>
> If this was a vote, I would vote against you.
>
> The reason is that you are far from being calm or helpful - you often make
> broad claims, but when asked to explain them, you never do. Later they
> turn out to be evidence-less.
>
> As a TZ maintainer, you should reason things out (at least once), and not
> insist on you being right based on authority, but based on evidence.
>
>> From previous threads on this list it also looks as if you often have a
> non-technical agenda, which is probably bad for a technical project which
> requires objective and impartial decisions ("calm").
>
> As a TZ maintainer, you should not get influenced by your personal goals,
> at least not too much.

Actually this is way way too soft language (IMH but often rabid O :-). 
As the List Maintainer you are A-Political period. The point of the list 
maintainers role is to provide an arms length from anything going 
through the List's TZ services.

>
>> I have a calm temperament, which kre rightly identified (on 2009-09-04)
>> as a vital quality for this role.
>
> Just to clear any misunderstandings that your statement might (or might
> not) cause, kre did _NOT_ identify your calm temperament as a vital
> quantity.
>
>> Particularly see the leap seconds mailing list, where in the past couple
>> of years many discussions have regrettably become much more heated
>> than befits the calibre of participant, and perl5-porters, where I've
>> occasionally dealt with a prickly CPAN author.
>
> So in the recent years when you joined discussions got more heated, and
> you take part. That's not good advertising. Also, being member
> of a perl mailinglist is hardly in any way relevant.
>
> The job of a TZ maintainer is quite different from that of a perl module
> author.

Yes it is - it also is unlike many other IETF initiatives in that 
pertains to a continuously evolving service infrastructure, somewhat as 
DNS does, but without multiple authoritative roots. The TZ Database is 
as important for many systems as the master roots are in that context as 
well so its stability and transparency are key whoever runs the WG.
>
> Also, while I don't know what prickly cpan author you dealt with, this
> hardly belongs here, and the fact that you send thinly veiled insults
> about other people (despite being anonymous) on unrelated lists is hardly
> evidence for a "calm temperament".
>
> A TZ maintainer should not bring his personal fights on other mailinglists
> to his job as TZ maintainer.
>
>> Although it's not strictly necessary in a TZ Coordinator, I'm technically
>> well qualified to look after the timezone code.  C was my main programming
>> language for about ten years, 1988 to 1998.

So coding isnt really needed for managing the mailing list and the TZ 
mirror practice per se one would think. What specifically would you do 
to make the processes more stable and bring more reporting entities into 
the practice of noticing the list when they change their time zones?

>
> Ten years is hardly a long time - but I agree that's not vital, as others
> on this list have, in the past, shown exceptionally competence in this
> area and the willingness to help out if needed.

Again, programming is good but its not what this list is about and I 
don't see any Release Engineering experience or Build-Master experience 
in that description. Both of those are strong requirements in my opinion 
for whoever runs this as well if you want a stable process. Again - CPAN 
isn't enough of this in my opinion but hey it is what it is.

>
>> has been Perl, but I still regularly work in C.  About half of the Perl
>> modules that I've published are largely implemented in C, for one reason
>> or another, and I'm a contributor to the Perl core, which is written
>> in C.  The quality of my code can be discerned by perusal of my published
>> Perl modules.
>
> Again, perl module author is hardly relevant for the job at hand.
>
> It would be much more interesting to hear about your qualities as a TZ
> maintainer.

I.e. how you managed to collect TZ information, your relationships with 
the Master Timing Laboratories and the like.

>
>> As a bonus, I have some plans for how the database should develop from
>> where it is now.
>
> That sounds rather scary to me.
>
> I am sure I am not the only one who'd rather not see any "developments",
> but merely the enourmous stability that we have seen and appreciated in
> the past.
>
>> as TZ Coordinator.  Most obviously, I haven't been on the TZ mailing list
>> very long.  I tend to pick things up quickly, but this is a defect in the
>> experience I'd bring to the role.
>
> Right.
>
> To be honest, the thought of you becoming maintainer and changing things
> a lot, as is clear form this and your previous mails, makes me outright
> scared.
>
> The greatest thing about the olson database and associated code is stability,
> the strive for portability while keeping things simple.

You mean so code already in place to use is doesnt break? I agree. The 
legacy use and access models must remain stable no matter what. If new 
additions are to be added to the use models those should go through the 
WG and probably an IETF filing as the first place to start.

>
> The impression you give me is that the next thing you'll do is add
> autoconf support, integrate it into your perl module etc. - I am
> exaggerating, but change is so extraordinarily negative in this area that
> proposing to "develop" into new directions instantly disqualifies somebody
> from the role.

Again - the key is autonomy in the role - no allegiances to anything 
including self-initiated efforts.

>
> Just my ¢2.
>
>
>
>


-- 
Todd S. Glassey - CISM CIFI
CTO Certichron Inc

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