[sword-devel] modules upload etc - suggestion

[peter]

One of the things which are recurrent on the mailing list is the
difficulty + slowness of getting a module through the door - i.e. both
to put it into beta and to get it from beta eventually transferred into
release.

There is also no fast way of doing corrections on released module - at
least for those without adequate rights on the server. Another
difficulty for those of us behind slow upload connections are that even
minor changes in the module become a nightmare of hour long uploads.

Could I suggest the following reorganisation?

1) a reasonably wide open alpha area where plenty can upload - i.e.
everyone with some reasonably close connection to Crosswire. We can deal
with copyright problems there reactively - an assertion that a module is
OK should be enough if accompanied by

2) a wider range of people who can upload from alpha to beta

3) both alpha and beta running under subversion - so that changes can be
made on the server and done in a collective fashion. Often there is one
who understands the language and the module, while another has much
better clue of the relevant technology.

4) a module maintainer for each module who can authorise update
releases, so that these do not need to go through the current slow
approval process.

It took me several months to get FarsiOPV into beta, FarsiLB and FarsiTV
are still not in beta despite several requests and FarsiOPV needs some
urgent corrections to the configuration file.

Just to be clear I am not upset with anyone - I am a volunteer like
everyone else and will work in starts and spurts - so I know exactly how
difficult it is to do things beside ordinary work commitments. I make
the above suggestions simply because I think we should make use of the
facilities to make it easier for us to collaborate.

God bless you all.

Peter