M thought/trainwreck-design.html → thought/trainwreck-design.html

@@ -10,11 +10,7 @@ 
 df -h
 
 the year is 2024. instead of sensible output,
-i get... this.
-
-
-
-
+i get... this:
 
 
 Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
@@ -78,23 +74,27 @@ 
 
 jesus christ.
 
-if you think that the above output is ugly, let
+and if you think that the above output is ugly, let
 me assure you, it's even worse in a terminal.
 
 each 150+ character line wraps around my buffer
 like a boa constrictor, completely suffocating any
 sense of meaning.
 
+            ,=e
+            `-.
+            _,-'
+
 my journey to know how much disk space i had left
 has left me confused. annoyed.
 
-but even worse, i feel disrespected in my own ~home.
+i feel disrespected in my own ~home.
 
 
 and i don't like being disrespected. especially
-by WORDS and LETTERS and UTF-8???
+by command line applications.
 
-after all, this is MY terminal.
+after all, this is MY terminal. MY userspace.
 
 a program just waltzes in and spews
 shitty output all over MY tty?
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ 
 HELL NO
 
 oh, but tmpfs's are so very useful? fuck you.
-oh, efivars are important becau- FUCK you.
+oh, efivars are important becau- FUCK YOU.
 
 
 I AM A REGULAR LINUX USER
@@ -131,39 +131,42 @@ 
 as open ecosystems grow, they tend to experience
 what i like to call "trainwreck design"
 
-basically: when many things are independently designed
-and developed, then smashed together, the user 
-experience suffers. things feel "wrong" because
-users aren't stupid - they can sense that there was
-no coherent vision.
+basically: when many programs are independently designed
+and developed & then smashed together, user
+experience suffers.
+
+things feel wrong because users can sense the lack of
+coherent vision. tiny papercuts.
 
-take the GNU/Linux ecosystem for example.
-"trainwreck design" happens here all of the time.
-programs are designed independently, smashed together,
+take the GNU/Linux ecosystem:
+"trainwreck design" happens there all of the time.
+programs are designed independently & smashed together,
 everyone spritzes holy water on their keyboards,
-and things mostly sort of keep moving forward.
+adds 2,000 more lines of lua to their emacs config,
+and things mostly sort of keep stumbling forward.
+
+but this results in programs like df. or mount.
 
-but this results in programs like df. they grow weird
-appendages, have millions of esoteric flags, and worst
-of all, they just feel obviously wrong.
+they grow weird appendages, have millions of
+esoteric flags, and worst of all,
+they just FEEL obviously wrong.
 
 "trainwreck design" is not intentional design.
 
-in "open source" communities, these problems are
-often worsened - if design disagreements get too
-intense, forks arise and kill momentum.
+people have tried using consensus-based design,
+but consensus doesn't really work in the design realm.
+
 
-people have tried using consensus - but consensus
-doesn't really work in the design realm.
+             BAZAAR DESIGN THEORY
 
 when an open, bazaar-like[0] community grows too large,
 it becomes impossible to insist on a coherent design
-philosophy, people fork around you. rifts develop.
-alternatives appear. electing a "design leader" is
-not possible because there are simply too many points
-of control.
+philosophy, because getting that many people to agree
+on vision leads to slowdowns, disagreements, forks,
+etc.
 
-in other words...
+in other words, bazaar-like communities result
+in bazaar-like design.
                                                  ____
                                                 |    |
 .----------------------------------------------.|    |
@@ -175,27 +178,31 @@ |:_/ |
                                                //   \ \
                                               (| [4] | )
 
+i actually think the above is completely false.
+
 i have my own theory: bazaar-style development does
 not necessitate committee-style design.
 
-a bazaar can in fact have a unified vision without
-relying on outright authoritarianism.
+a bazaar can in fact have a unified vision.
 
-in fact, this is already happening - many projects
-that are very much bazaar-like in nature have a strong
-visionary + designer (or several), who typically hold
-leadership positions.
+but it must be intentional from the beginning.
 
-but it's rare.
+this is already happening - many projects that are
+very much bazaar-like in nature have a strong visionary
++ designer (or several), who typically hold leadership
+positions.
+
+but it's rare, and the territory is pretty new.
 
-typically, this position is affectionately called the
+historically, this position has affectionately been
+called the~
 
                ██████  ██████  ███████ ██      
                ██   ██ ██   ██ ██      ██      
                ██████  ██   ██ █████   ██      
                ██   ██ ██   ██ ██      ██      
                ██████  ██████  ██      ███████ 
-               or "benevolent dictator for life"
+                "benevolent dictator for life"
 
 for a good example, see the hare[1] project's BDFL page.
 
@@ -209,30 +216,29 @@ - Drew has "the vision"
   - ...
   - Drew is the designer.
 
-if you disagree that hare is designed, try reading
-the style[2] guide and this[3] post on hare's design
-philosophy.
+try reading hare's style[2] guide and this[3] post
+on hare's design philosophy. hare is clearly a designed
+project.
 
 "Hare Is Boring" is an assertion made by someone with
 a strong innate sense of design.
 
-a contributor can immediately read, digest, and align
-with Hare's vision. they can contribute code in
+a new contributor can immediately read, digest, and
+align with Hare's vision. they can contribute code in
 an expected style with very little oversight.
 
 they can get excited about hare, because when design
-is this up-front, it's exciting to be a part of.
+is this up-front, it's compelling. exciting.
 
 design requires vision. direction. involvement.
 
-but design does not require the designer to do
-all of the work, or be a gate through which
-all work flows.
+design does _not_ require the designer to do all of
+the work, or be a gate through which all work flows.
 
 the designer does _not_ have to be a dictator.
 
-this is neither a bazaar nor a cathedral - it's
-somewhere in between.
+this sort of setup is neither a bazaar nor a
+cathedral - i believe it's somewhere in between.
  
 
 
@@ -257,41 +263,54 @@ 
 i'm calling it "the hive", and it's a bazaar/cathedral
 hybrid.
 
-hives one or more leaders who influence direction
+hives have one or more leaders who influence direction
 and vision, but who do _not_ act as dictators.
 
+in other words, hive leaders inspire design
+through vision - not by telling people what to do.
+
 hive leaders:
-  - talk about vision, meaning, direction
-  - let people own their own decisions
-  - provide context and warnings
-  - try their hardest to not act like dictators
+  - think and talk about vision, meaning, direction
+  - let people operate independently
+  - provide context
+  - assert control rarely, if ever.
 
-people in hives make decisions autonomously, but
-with shared understanding and context. the role
-of the hive leader is to keep track of what's
-happening, try to keep everyone aligned, get
-people excited about a vision, but let people
-make their own technical decisions along that
-path.
+people in hive projects make decisions autonomously,
+but with shared understanding and vision.
+
+being a hive leader is not fun. they  have stressful,
+emotional responsibilities:
+  - help people understand the project's vision
+  - organize people into roles
+  - resolve interpersonal disputes
+  - provide guidance when people cannot agree
+  - watch all of the trains
+
+this setup role dramatically reduces the likelihood of
+trainwreck design, and also keeps the communal
+"vibe of the bazaar" alive.
+
+also, you get to call yourself the "queen bee"
 
-this dramatically reduces the likelihood of trainwreck
-design, and also keeps the communal "vibe of the bazaar"
-alive.
+                .' '.            __
+       .        .   .           (__\_
+        .         .         . -{{_(|8)
+          ' .  . ' ' .  . '     (__/
 
 
-in other words,
 
-  if somebody watches all of the trains
 
-    maybe we can stop some of them
+      if somebody is watching all of the trains
 
-       from crashing.
+    maybe some of them
 
+  won't collide.
 
 
-love,
 
-  jes
+  love,
+  
+    jes