Published on: 2015-09-30T00:10:57+00:00
The bitcoin-dev mailing list, created in 2011, was originally intended for highly technical discussions and to avoid philosophical debates. However, Bitcoin has evolved over time, leading to an expanded group of stakeholders. It is now crucial for the list's description to clearly outline the topics that can be discussed, ensuring relevant and focused conversations. The aim is to address the issue of off-topic noise that is hindering productivity. A separate discussion list is being considered as an outlet for non-technical discussions.In September 2015, a discussion arose regarding statements about a developer's personal character being considered off-topic on the bitcoin-dev list. Jonathan Toomim argued that such comments should not be discussed, but acknowledged that enforcing this rule would result in a significant percentage of discussions being deemed off-topic. This suggests that personal attacks or comments about developers' characters were common at that time.On September 29, 2015, Jeff Garzik, a prominent member of the bitcoin development community, deemed a topic off-topic for the mailing list. In response, Milly Bitcoin accused Garzik of acting with authority and attempting to bully others, suggesting that he should focus on reviewing his company's handling and security measures related to bitcoin. Making statements about a developer's personal character was also noted as off-topic for the list.Another post on the bitcoin-dev list in September 2015 sought a partner to develop a gamified bitcoin mining app. The author was looking for someone knowledgeable in cryptography and the bitcoin code base. Although there was some interest, the ideal candidate had not been found yet. Interested individuals were instructed to contact the author via email.The author of a different post responded to claims that certain topics on the bitcoin-dev list were off-topic. They argued that the list's subject was broad enough to encompass various topics and accused certain individuals of making up their own rules without proper authority or guidelines. The author suggested that a more precise description may be necessary if the discussion is to be limited in any way beyond the current official description.Additionally, Neil Haran proposed building a massive rock paper scissors tournament using bitcoin-qt. Each player would participate in a best-of-five tournament each round, with players randomly matched against each other. The number of rounds would correspond to the depth of a binary tree. Neil believed that he could get millions of people playing in this tournament and offered a cash prize. However, Lauri Love advised Neil not to solicit interest in advance, but rather share the idea first and allow people to volunteer their interest and assistance if they found it compelling.In summary, the bitcoin-dev mailing list has undergone changes over time, prompting the need for a clear description of acceptable topics. There have been discussions about personal attacks, off-topic noise, and the potential creation of a separate list for non-technical conversations. The list has also seen posts seeking partners for app development and proposals for large-scale tournaments using bitcoin-qt.
Updated on: 2023-08-01T16:17:45.125285+00:00