Published on: 2015-09-29T17:59:18+00:00
The bitcoin-dev mailing list is facing concerns about noise and off-topic discussions. Some suggest that the maintainer should take charge and make decisions on how Core does things, rather than having heated debates. Pavel Janík highlights the confusion between the maintainer of Bitcoin Core and the moderator of the mailing list. One proposed solution is for maintainers to declare how Core operates and end debates to prevent circular conversations. However, this technique is not being utilized by Wladimir, which should be addressed. Allowing random people to dismiss valid objections with red cards only exacerbates user frustration.The bitcoin-dev mailing list was originally intended for discussing ongoing development issues related to the protocol and bitcoin core, not for holding the development community accountable or venting frustrations. Some developers have switched to digest-only or unsubscribed due to concerns that the list could become a platform for PR and populist venting, expanding its scope and decreasing its utility. There are worries that it may become difficult for an average somewhat technical person to hold the development community accountable or have their voice heard. The line on debates over bitcoin philosophy and broader context being considered off-topic is also questioned.The main concern revolves around the potential censorship of one of the last uncensored forums for technical Bitcoin discussion with wide viewership. This forum is seen as a means for the average somewhat technical person to hold the Bitcoin development community accountable and be heard. However, there is uncertainty regarding who will determine what is considered "off-topic" by list admins. Despite these concerns, it only takes a short amount of time each day to read the forum while enjoying coffee.In an IRC discussion, it was mentioned that the bitcoin-dev list has become too noisy, with debates over bitcoin philosophy and broader context leading to grumpy list admins declaring them as "off-topic." To address this issue, it is proposed to narrow the focus of the list to near-term technical changes to the bitcoin protocol and its implementations, such as bitcoin core and btcd. However, it is also suggested that there should be a designated place for discussions to be redirected, hence the proposal for a second list called bitcoin-tech-discuss or simply 'bitcoin' with a more general rubric. This split has proven successful in IRC, reducing noise and maintaining productivity. The overall goal is to increase productivity by focusing on technical discussions related to bitcoin development while providing a separate platform for broader discussions.
Updated on: 2023-08-01T16:25:41.503163+00:00