RE: Usability list? Eh?

["Gerry Chu" <gerry-list gerrychu com>]

> Either way, at GUADEC it was generally felt that for historical reasons
> (rather than any lack of effort from the current list members),
> gnome-gui-list was poorly-regarded in the community and wasn't really
> doing as good a job as it could be.

Very true. But: it was never ONCE laid out what we were supposed to do here.
One can't expect this list to get much done, if no one tells this list what
to do. Meanwhile, some poor members of this list reduplicate the efforts of
those "in the know" and "more into things" without anyone, until now,
telling them that that is so! We are cut off, and have been for a long time.

> For one thing, many of the people who are involved with GNOME usability
> in a big way day-to-day don't hang out on gnome-gui-list any more, and
> haven't done for a long time.

What was the reason perhaps, that these day-to-day people left (or never
participated, which is my impression, except Calum)? Maybe because the list
never got anything done. But since only the day-to-day people can really
change GNOME's UI and get things done, for anyone to expect us to do
anything meaningful, these day-to-day people should be the _most_ involved
in this list, and coordinating whatever work and projects. But they haven't
done that. And, to my knowledge, never have, for whatever reason (the reason
might be good, and I just never heard of it). Again, what I'm trying to say,
is that there is no communication between us and developers; the
"day-to-day" people, and although it the fault of both parties, the
"day-to-day" people are the ones who should have taken the initiative. And I
feel like we are taking the "blame", for lack of a better word, for being
unproductive.

> So, my take on the new list is that it's been set up to try and
> eradicate some of the negative historical baggage that g-g-l has,
> hopefully get everyone back on board who should be involved in writing
> guidelines etc., and get things moving faster and in a more organised
> fashion than they have been up until now.

Makes sense. I wish the new ventures the best. Hopefully, under their new
names, they will be what the name "GNOME-GUI list" should have been, but
never was.

Gerry Chu