[theforum] Challenging Drupal: Put up or shut up

[Matt Warden]

Martin wrote quite bluntly:
> I'll say it again: if anyone wants to genuinely change the direction
> of our technical strategy, then stand up and say so. But if by doing
> so the hope is to derail the existing positive energy, then that's
> petty, and a no-hoper.
>
> Anyway, enough distraction

I feel like I'm at a wedding, and the robed man just told us to speak
now or forever hold our collective peace. I sure hope there's an open
bar at the reception.

It seems odd that you say your goal is to NOT derail current momentum
and discussions, and you wish to accomplish this goal by goading
dissenters to bring up old discussions onlist. It seems to me that you
are simply bothered by the fact that there is perhaps disagreement
with the direction evolt has taken in the last 4-5 years, and because
you aren't listening in on the disagreement, you can't respond in your
usual fashion (which is generally quite effective, to your credit).

If evolt is about selecting the best CMS, then I think you all are
doing a great job. If evolt exists to excite people about pre-packaged
solutions that maximize efficiency often lost in custom software
development, then I think you are all doing a great job. If evolt
exists to pick the best third-party modules and plugins to facilitate
article approval processes that can handle volumes of 2 articles every
6 months, then I think you are all doing a great job. If evolt is
about requiring membership in an unrelated community if you want to be
able to contribute code or enhancements to evolt software, then I
think you are all doing a great job.

Evolt was in a very different situation 4 years ago. I actually don't
have a problem with the decision to move to Drupal given that
situation; it was triage at its finest. But how can you look at the
past 4 years and not say that something is missing? Do you really
think that upgrading Drupal is going to revive evolt? Is that the
problem our community has currently -- an outdated version of Drupal?

I don't think anyone is trying to derail anything. I have no problem
with people engaging in a technology upgrade. All I am suggesting is
that people should not delude themselves into thinking such activities
will fix anything with evolt. The current CMS -- however outdated it
might be -- is plenty functional and can easily handle our tiny volume
of content. So, the question is: what is REALLY broken about evolt and
how do we fix it?

Upgrade Drupal. Upgrade MySQL. Upgrade whatever you want. But the
irony here is that THOSE ACTIVITIES look like the current distraction
from dealing with the central problem with this community.

Now, as requested, I will shut up.


-- 
Matt Warden
Cincinnati, OH, USA
http://mattwarden.com


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