Re: Well done, Hackers

On Sat, 2008-11-01 at 14:22 -0400, Tom Lane wrote:
> Simon Riggs <simon(at)2ndQuadrant(dot)com> writes:
> > Unofficially, well done to everybody that submitted patches in time for
> > Commit Fest. The queue has grown significantly over last few days and
> > it's clear many people have been working very hard right up to the
> > deadline.
>
> "Well done"? It seems to me that we are right where we hoped not to be,
> ie with a ton of barely-completed (if not self-admitted WIP) patches
> dropped on us immediately before feature freeze. Today the commit fest
> idea is looking like a failure.
>
> If we actually manage to ship 8.4 within six months, *that* will be
> "well done".

Work happens in stages. A lot of people have obviously worked very hard
and I wanted to make sure their efforts do not go unnoticed.

I don't see contributions and effort as a bad thing for Postgres. And
CommitFests have helped in reducing the volume of patches that appear at
the last deadline, just imagine what it would be like otherwise. If
there was a problem anywhere in sight it would be that the development
window closes for 6 months of the year, forcing developers to cram their
contributions into a tight window. Patches that take many months to plan
and write are simply more likely to appear at the last Commitfest of the
year.

I'm more than aware that much of the work from here rests on your
shoulders, and I understand how you must feel. But let's give credit to
the people that have worked hard to get to here and then lets give
*more* credit to all the people that contribute from here. We can say
thank you to each in their turn. If we can positively motivate people we
will be able to spread the load rather than have the load fall on you.
Believe me, none of us enjoy watching you struggle (capably) with the
huge workload and responsibility. I'll do more than I've done in the
past to help, both with my own work and others. Thanks in advance.

--
Simon Riggs www.2ndQuadrant.com
PostgreSQL Training, Services and Support